William Baumgartner, M.D., Announces His Plans to Retire

To the Johns Hopkins Medicine community

One of the most rewarding elements of a career at Johns Hopkins is working with colleagues whose achievements and commitment exemplify excellence. Bill Baumgartner, both as a cardiac surgeon and through his many clinical leadership roles, has been such a colleague. So it is with tremendous appreciation as well as a sense of impending loss that we write to inform you of his plans to retire in 2018, after 36 years of service to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Bill will continue in his roles as vice dean for clinical affairs and president of the Clinical Practice Association until his retirement. To ensure the smooth transition of the senior vice president of the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians position, we have formed a search committee co-chaired by Robert Kasdin, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Andrew Satin, director of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Bill has enjoyed a distinguished career in medicine. A native of Kentucky, he earned his bachelor's degree from Xavier University, his M.D. from the University of Kentucky Medical School, and pursued surgical training at Stanford University Medical Center, where he served as chief resident.

Bill arrived at Johns Hopkins in 1982 to work as an assistant professor of cardiac surgery. Within a year, his work to re-establish the heart transplant program at The Johns Hopkins Hospital set us on a path to become a national leader in the surgical treatment of heart failure. Bill rose to professor of surgery, and served as director of the heart and heart-lung transplant program, and chief of cardiac surgery. He was appointed vice dean of clinical affairs and president of the Clinical Practice Association in 1999 and was named the Vincent L. Gott Professor of Cardiac Surgery in 2000.

As Johns Hopkins Medicine has grown in size and complexity, Bill has played a crucial role in ensuring streamlined clinical operations across our hospitals and outpatient locations. In 2011, he was named senior vice president for the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians, and he has worked tirelessly to integrate the operations of the Clinical Practice Association and Johns Hopkins Community Physicians. He has been integral to the implementation of many initiatives, including a framework for oversight of safety and quality at all of our ambulatory sites. Bill oversaw the establishment of our Telemedicine Office, centralized Access Services Center, the newly formed Johns Hopkins Regional Physicians, and the Ambulatory Management Program, all designed to enhance our ability to serve patients.

Bill has a gift for propping up others. He makes it a priority to recognize the people of Johns Hopkins Medicine who consistently deliver excellent, compassionate care, and in 2015, he collaborated with his leadership team to create the Johns Hopkins Medicine Clinical Awards for Physicians and Care Teams. To date, we have honored 84 physicians and care teams across the enterprise. Throughout his career, Bill's supportive nature has inspired countless trainees and faculty to develop their passion for cardiac surgery and surgical research. He has mentored more than 45 residents who have gone on to be leaders in the field, including chairs of surgery departments, chiefs of cardiothoracic surgery divisions and presidents of professional societies.

Known as a stellar researcher, Bill has served as director of the Cardiac Surgery Research Lab for more than 25 years. Under his leadership, the lab consistently has received "RO1-level" funding from the National Institutes of Health and has greatly advanced innovation in cardiothoracic surgery. He is credited with more than 375 publications, and has held leadership positions in numerous professional organizations, including as executive director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.

A year from now, Bill's presence will be missed deeply within these walls. Yet we appreciate that he will be able to spend more time with Betsy, his wife of 47 years, and his children and grandchildren. In addition, Bill already has agreed to take on a new project, serving as co-editor of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult and Congenital Cardiac Surgery e-book.

Please join us in recognizing Bill's immeasurable contributions to the field of cardiac surgery and to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Sincerely,

Paul B. Rothman, M.D.
Dean of the Medical Faculty
CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Ronald R. Peterson
President, Johns Hopkins Health System
EVP, Johns Hopkins Medicine