Dr. Cortese Interviews with Local Media

By Kelley Luckstein

After 40 years at Mayo, Cortese looks ahead

Dr. Denis Cortese doesn't plan to ride quietly off into the sunset. cortese-1

Although in fact, Cortese and his wife do plan to hop in their car today and head west toward Arizona.

Once he gets there, Cortese will undertake a whole new career. He'll start a new health-reform think tank called the "Healthcare Delivery and Policy Program" at Arizona State University in Tempe. He'll partner there once again with former Mayo Chief Administrative Officer Bob Smoldt.

"It's been a long career -- 40 years -- at Mayo," Cortese said Wednesday morning during his final interview with Minnesota journalists before retirement.

Once he's retired, Cortese said, he looks forward to spending some time with his grandchildren and the freedom of leaving behind the worries of leadership.

Post-Bulletin by Jeff Hansel, 11/20/09

Mayo CEO Ready to Step Down

The top man at Mayo, Dr. Denis Cortese, is retiring from the clinic this week after nearly four decades of service.

But today, during his final interview with the local media, Dr. Cortese had some interesting things to say about the government's effort to reform healthcare…

Forty years after he first came to Mayo Clinic as a student, Mayo President and CEO Denis Cortese is getting ready to step down…

Cortese says his biggest accomplishment was helping to create an environment at Mayo that stresses patient outcomes, safety records and customer satisfaction. Things he says can't be "legislated" into existance. "Nobody in Congress ever legislated the core principles of Mayo Clinic, the core values of Mayo Clinic."

KAAL by David Springer, 11/18/09