Stephen D. Cassivi MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS Biography
Division of General Thoracic
Surgical Director of Lung Transplantation
Division of General Thoracic Surgery
>Stephen Cassivi studied in Political Science as well as Biology before receiving his Doctorate in Medicine with Magna cum Laude honors from the University of Ottawa where he was elected President of his Medical School class. Following medical school, he completed his General Surgery residency at the University of Toronto, Canada and was certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He is also certified by the American Board of Surgery. He completed a subspecialty fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and is further certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Following his training in St. Louis, Dr. Cassivi accepted a position in the Division of General Thoracic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he is now an Associate Professor of Surgery. In 2004, Dr. Cassivi was named Surgical Director of the Lung Transplantation Program at Mayo Clinic.
In 1998, Dr. Cassivi was awarded the 1st Annual C. Walton Lillehei Award for research in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. He continues to be involved in research in the field of end-stage lung disease and his current focus includes stem cell-related lung regeneration.
Dr. Cassivi has spoken and made scientific presentations both nationally and internationally on various subjects, including Surgical Quality of Care and Patient Safety, and Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery. He has authored and co-authored over 100 scientific papers and book chapters on a number of medical and surgical topics. Dr. Cassivi was, for five years, the Associate Editor of the Journal of Diseases of the Esophagus, the official journal of the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus (ISDE).
Dr. Cassivi was awarded the Teacher of the Year Award by the Graduate School of Medical Education at Mayo Clinic in 2007 and the A.W. Harrison Surgical Teaching Award at the University of Toronto in 1995. He is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Task Force on Early Career Development and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Education Committee. He is a past Robert & Mary Stanfield National Scholar in Canadian Bilingual Studies and an A.A. Heaps Canadian National Scholar for contribution to social reform. Dr. Cassivi has been named to the list of Best Doctors in America® and Marquis’ Who’s Who in Healthcare and Medicine in each year since 2005.
Dr. Cassivi is married to Katherine McLellan. They currently work and reside in Rochester, Minnesota with their daughter Claire and son Adam.
