Cleveland Clinic News and Notes

FORE!

Cleveland Clinic and PGA TOUR Launch Partnership 

The PGA TOUR has named Cleveland Clinic as the OFFICIAL HEALTHCARE PROVIDER OF THE PGA TOUR AND PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS. As part of this multi-year partnership, which runs through 2032, Cleveland Clinic will care for players through innovative onsite and offsite health and wellness services and serve as the PGA TOUR’s performance partner.

Beginning this season, Cleveland Clinic clinicians and performance experts will be integrated into the PGA TOUR’s Player Performance Center, which travels with the TOUR throughout the year. This first-of-its-kind program will deliver seamless connectivity and consistent care across multiple facets of the PGA TOUR and will provide a variety of essential medical services to help TOUR players perform at their best. Together, Cleveland Clinic and the PGA TOUR will help shape the athlete of the future by elevating performance, establishing long-term health strategies and leveraging research and data-driven insights to fuel continuous improvement and player longevity.

“The PGA TOUR is thrilled to welcome Cleveland Clinic as an official partner, and we look forward to introducing their world-class care and facilities to our PGA TOUR members and fans,” says Dan Glod, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President, Corporate Partnerships.

The partnership will leverage the capabilities of the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center. Set to open in 2027, this 210,000-square-foot facility will offer comprehensive care for the general public and athletes of all levels, providing access to advanced testing, high-tech training equipment and collaborative clinical teams spanning orthopaedic surgery, sports medicine, cardiology, pulmonology, neurology, nutrition, psychology, genetics and more.

RANKINGS

Cleveland Clinic is THE NO. 3 HOSPITAL IN THE WORLD, according to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals 2026. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (No. 119), Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital (No. 228) and Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital (No. 246) are also recognized among the Top 250 hospitals in the world.

“Our model has endured for generations — a global team, centered around the patient, impacting as many lives as possible,” says Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic, MD, holder of the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair at Cleveland Clinic. “What makes Cleveland Clinic different is our caregivers’ dedication to our mission. Together, we choose to be there for others in their time of need, with compassion, dignity and service.”

According to Newsweek, each hospital was reviewed and given a score based on four data sources: recommendations from medical experts — including doctors, hospital managers and other healthcare professionals — hospital quality metrics, existing patient experience data and Statista’s Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Implementation Survey. 

SPOTLIGHT

Honor Roll

Cleveland Clinic CEO and President TOM MIHALJEVIC, MD, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.

The honor “recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service,” according to NAM, which honored Dr. Mihaljevic “for his work in creating the contemporary model of healthcare at Cleveland Clinic, reinforcing the organization’s dedication to the global communities it serves. This model focuses on improving healthcare quality and public health, including providing equal access to care, eliminating child food insecurity, preventing lead poisoning and improving maternal and infant health.”

Dr. Mihaljevic, who holds the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair, joins a distinguished list of Cleveland Clinic leaders who have been inducted in recent years, including TIMOTHY CHAN, MD, PhD, Chair of the Global Center for Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology and Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Endowed Chair; SERPIL ERZURUM, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Research and Academic Officer; and STANLEY HAZEN, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences. 

COMMUNITY

Feeding Those in Need

Cleveland Clinic has made a five-year, $50 million commitment to REDUCE HUNGER AND IMPROVE ACCESS TO NUTRITIOUS FOOD across Ohio, Florida and Nevada through direct support to local food banks and community-based organizations that are providing food to those in need. By providing essential funding, the pledge helps strengthen the local systems that provide access to nutritious food. The commitment offers partners the security to plan for the future, expand proven programs and build lasting capacity within the communities they serve.

“This investment strengthens the systems that help families access the healthy food options they need,” says Vickie Johnson, Chief Community Officer at Cleveland Clinic (pictured here volunteering at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank along with other members of Cleveland Clinic’s executive team). “By partnering with community-based organizations, we can scale proven programs and ensure resources reach the people who need them most. These efforts reflect our commitment to building the long-term community conditions that support better health.” 

FLORIDA

Stroke of Excellence

Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital in Port St. Lucie has earned designation as an ADVANCED COMPREHENSIVE STROKE CENTER from the Joint Commission — the highest level of stroke certification awarded by the organization. Tradition Hospital is the first hospital on the Treasure Coast to achieve this designation. Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Centers provide the most specialized, high-acuity stroke care, including treatment for both ischemic (blocked artery) and hemorrhagic (bleeding) strokes. These centers offer 24/7 access to advanced neurosurgical and endovascular therapies, specialized neuro-intensive care, dedicated stroke teams and ongoing performance improvement.

SURVEY

A Heart Health Gap

As interest in longevity and healthy aging continues to grow, a new national survey from Cleveland Clinic reveals A GAP BETWEEN CONFIDENCE AND AWARENESS when it comes to heart health. According to the findings, nearly 1 in 4 Americans isn’t sure whether they’re at increased risk for heart 
disease, even though 69% report at least one known risk factor. “Healthy aging is about prevention,” says Samir Kapadia (pictured), MD, Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic and holder of the Jennifer and Robert McNeil Endowed Chair in Interventional Cardiology. “Heart disease 
often develops silently over decades, which is why staying active, understanding your risk factors and addressing them early can make a profound difference in both quality of life and longevity.” Although 72% of Americans feel confident in their ability to maintain heart health as they age, many remain unaware of common risk factors — including diabetes (49%) and physical inactivity (44%) — that significantly increase heart disease risk. 

IMPACT

Breast Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise 

Cleveland Clinic researchers have presented final Phase 1 data from their novel study of 
A VACCINE AIMED AT PREVENTING TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER, the most aggressive and lethal form of the disease. The study team found that the investigational vaccine produced an immune response in the majority (74%) of all participants and was safe and well tolerated. “Triple-negative breast cancer remains one of the most challenging forms of the disease to treat effectively,” says principal investigator G. Thomas Budd, MD, of Cleveland Clinic’s Cancer Institute. “The results from this trial are promising.” Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the clinical trial evaluated safety and monitored immune response to the vaccine. The Phase 1 study, conducted at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus in partnership with Anixa Biosciences Inc., included 35 patients. The vaccine is based on preclinical research led by the late Vincent Tuohy, PhD, who held the Mort and Iris November Distinguished Chair in Innovative Breast Cancer Research. His groundbreaking work was supported in part by philanthropic gifts from more than 20,000 donors. 

IN BRIEF

Cleveland Clinic has established the Women’s Integrated Sports, Exercise and Research (WISER) center, a first-of-its-kind comprehensive center which focuses on injury prevention, performance, nutrition, mental health and wellbeing for female athletes. It will provide expert multidisciplinary healthcare and social support for female athletes utilizing an athlete-centered model, as well as conduct high-quality female-focused research and enhance access. 
---
Researchers at Cleveland Clinic have discovered that bacteria inside cancerous tumors may be key to understanding why immunotherapy works for some patients but not others. Two new studies, published simultaneously in Nature Cancer, reveal that elevated levels of bacteria in the tumor microenvironment suppress immune response, driving resistance to immunotherapy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. 
---
Cleveland Clinic is establishing a new initiative in cardiovascular genomics that will integrate genomic information into clinical care and research to advance how heart disease is detected, prevented and treated. The program will include two complementary components within the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute: The Haslam-Bailey Family Section of Cardiovascular Genomics and Precision Medicine, created from a generous gift by the Haslam-Bailey families, and the Center for Cardiovascular Genomics and Data Sciences. 
---
New Cleveland Clinic research reveals that up to 5% of Americans — approximately 17 million people — carry genetic mutations or “variants” linked to increased cancer susceptibility, regardless of risk factors like personal or family cancer history. Published in JAMA, the study suggests that these mutations may be more common than previously thought and highlights the potential for expanded genetic screening to identify more individuals at risk and improve early detection.