Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte appointed as Cleveland Clinic chair
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Giovanni Piedimonte, M.D., has resigned his post as chair of the Department of Pediatrics in the West Virginia University School of Medicine to become the chairman of the Pediatrics Institute and Physician in Chief of the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.Dr. Piedimonte has served as chair of the WVU Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief of WVU Children’s Hospital since 2006. In the last six years, the department has hired 50 new faculty members, research funding has more than tripled, and patient care and outreach programs have earned national attention.
“I want to extend my thanks to Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte for his work at WVU, which has made a significant difference in the lives of so many children and their families,” Arthur J. Ross III, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the WVU School of Medicine, said. “We’re fortunate that he leaves behind an impressive faculty of physicians and scientists that will carry on the work of caring for West Virginia’s children.”
“Dr. Piedimonte has proven to be an exceptional investigator of children’s health issues related to asthma and other lung problems,” Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H., WVU chancellor for health sciences, said. “It speaks to the caliber of our faculty that one of the world’s preeminent institutions has recruited one of our own. We wish him well in his new position.”
WVU Hospitals President and CEO Bruce McClymonds said that Dr. Piedimonte has been a successful leader of WVU Children's Hospital. “He recruited a significant number of highly qualified faculty physicians, which has resulted in a substantially broadened scope of services that are delivered by WVU Healthcare to our pediatric patients.”
Piedimonte said he made the decision to leave Morgantown with mixed emotions.
“This has been an incredible ride, filled with enormous personal and professional growth. I am convinced that today our department and WVU Children’s Hospital are among the best of their kind in the country. We have an army of talented men and women who work hard every day to make sure every West Virginia child receives the very best healthcare close to home,” he said. “I remain confident that while I am leaving behind many good friends, the work done in the past six years will have lasting beneficial effects and that very exciting times lie ahead for WVU and, hopefully, also for me and my family.”
Piedimonte will oversee more than 300 full-time pediatricians and sub-specialists at the Cleveland Clinic, which is consistently ranked as one of the country’s best healthcare organizations.
Piedimonte’s resignation is effective June 30.
“In the interim, we need to have a strong, experienced leader guiding the department,” Dr. Ross said. “I am delighted to announce that Dr. Larry Rhodes has accepted my invitation to serve as the interim chair of our Department of Pediatrics.”
Rhodes is section chief of pediatric cardiology and director of the Institute for Community and Rural Health. A national search will be conducted for the new chair of pediatrics.
