Cardiothoracic Surgery Faculty

Joseph C. Cleveland, Jr., M.D., joined the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery faculty in July 2001, and is currently an Associate Professor of Surgery. He attended medical school at the University of Washington in Seattle where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha and graduated with High Honors in 1991. He then attended the University of Colorado where he completed an internship, General Surgery Residency (1991-1998) and Thoracic Surgery Residency (1998-2001).

Dr. Cleveland has a broad range of clinical, research, and teaching interests. His clinical interests include adult cardiac surgery, off-pump coronary artery surgery, adult heart and lung transplantation, mechanical assist devices/artificial heart, and heart valve reconstruction/replacement. He is the Surgical Director for Adult Cardiac Transplantation/Mechanical Assist Devices at the University of Colorado Hospital and Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgical Services at the Denver VA Medical Center.

Dr. Cleveland’s research interests concern myocardial responses to cardiopulmonary bypass and obligatory ischemia associated with heart surgery. He completed a two-year trauma surgical research fellowship under the mentorship of Alden H. Harken, M.D. from 1994 to 1996. During that time he worked on cellular signaling during myocardial preconditioning. Dr. Cleveland was also the recipient of the Jahnigen Career Development Award from the American Geriatric Society in 2004. This award supports his work on the effects of age upon myocardial cytokine production. He is also the principal investigator or Co-PI on numerous clinical research studies and has authored or co-authored over 80 publications and 12 book chapters.

Dr. Cleveland serves as the Assistant Program Director of the Thoracic Surgery Residency Program. He also serves as a Preceptor in the Foundations of Doctoring Program, an accredited course that involves one-on-one teaching/mentoring to pre-medical students. His commitment to medical education is evidenced by his receipt of the Outstanding Clinical Teacher for 2002-2003 and the first annual School of Medicine Professionalism Award in July 2007.

Dr. Cleveland is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, the American College of Cardiology, and numerous other professional groups. He currently serves on three workforces for the STS and on the program committee of the Western Thoracic Surgical Association.