Denis A. Cortese joined Arizona State University (ASU) in 2010 as Foundation Professor, director of ASU's Healthcare Delivery and Policy Program, and president of the non-profit Healthcare Transformation Institute based in Phoenix, AZ. He is an Emeritus President and CEO of the Mayo Clinic, and former head of the Mayo Health Policy Center.
Professional activities as a staff member of Mayo Clinic was in the field of pulmonary medicine including interventional bronchoscopy, critical care, with special interests in early and advanced stage lung cancer, liver and lung transplantation. Activities in education included the medical school and director of the pulmonary-fellowship training program. Research was focused on NIH funded endoscopic laser photodynamic therapy for early stage lung cancer and on NdYAG-laser phototherapy of advanced stage airway obstructing cancer.
In addition to his current ASU academic position, he currently serves on the board of trustees of Dartmouth-Hitchcock, and the boards of directors for Cerner Corporation, Essence Global Holding Corporation, and Pinnacle West.
Dr. Cortese is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, where he served as the original chair of the Roundtable on Value and Science-Driven Health Care; a National Associate of the National Research Council; an honorary member of the Royal College of Physicians (London) and the Academia Nacional de Medicina (Mexico).
He formerly served in the following positions: member of the health advisory board of RAND; member, and served as the chair of the board, of the Health Care Leadership Council in Washington, DC.; member of the Harvard/Kennedy Health Policy Group; member of the Division on Engineering and Physical Science (DEPS) of the National Academy of Engineering.
Dr. Cortese is a recipient of an Ellis Island Award (2007) and the National Healthcare Leadership Award (2009).