Stephen Swensen, MD, MMM
Professor Emeritus, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Rochester, Minnesota

Dr. Swensen is dedicated to the support of thoughtful leaders and teams that have the aspiration to create Esprit de Corps. Imagine our world if we cared for each other, for our patents.  He serves as a Senior Fellow of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement where his focus is Joy in Work. He works as the Leadership Theme Leader and a member of the NEJM Catalyst Board.

Dr. Swensen is a motivational speaker and recognized, well-published expert in healthcare leadership and professional burnout. For three decades he served patients at the Mayo Clinic. As Director for Leadership and Organization Development he co-led the professional burnout initiative and oversaw the development of 4,100 physicians and scientists, and 232 titled leaders. As Director for Quality, he established the Quality Academy and the Value Creation System. More than 37,000 colleagues were certified as Quality Fellows during his tenure. As Department Chair, he and his team used Lean-Sigma and Baldrige to create value for patients and time for professionals.

A full professor, he has been Principal Investigator of two NIH Grants and has authored two books and 207 articles. He was honored with the Diamond Quality Fellow Lifetime Achievement Award. Swensen served as President of two international professional groups. He founded the Big Sky Group and the Sun Valley Roundtable.

Dr. Swensen holds a Masters of Medical Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School and is a trained Executive Coach. He served as a Director on two Boards and as a member of the Mayo Clinic Management Team. He started two businesses.

Dr. Swensen has been married for 41 years, has two children and has run or cross-country skied 39 marathons.