Chair of the Division of Head and Neck Surgery, Joseph I. and Barbara Ashkins Professor of Surgery, and Professor of Otolaryngology at Mayo Clinic
Kerry D. Olsen, M.D., is a world-renowned healthcare leader with a surgical career of 40 years at the Mayo Clinic. He is also the Joseph I. and Barbara Ashkins named professor of surgery, as well as the past chair of the Division of Head and Neck Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology at Mayo Clinic and former medical director for ten years of the Mayo Clinic Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center. He is an emeritus member of Mayo Clinic Board of Governors and Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees having served for sixteen years. He is former president of Mayo Clinic staff. Dr. Olsen oversaw for fifteen years the construction and planning of numerous major facility projects at Mayo Clinic including the Gonda project, the largest construction project in Mayo Clinic history, and the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center. He is the author of the Mayo Clinic Model of Care.
Dr. Olsen received a B.A. degree in economics from Northwestern University and the M.D. degree from the first graduating class of Mayo Medical School. He completed an internship in general surgery and a residency in otolaryngology at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine and facial plastic surgery training at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He holds the academic rank of Professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery in the Mayo College of Medicine.
He has been named Teacher of the Year multiple times and is in the Mayo Fellows Association Teaching Hall of Fame. He has also been recognized as a Distinguished Mayo Clinician. He has lectured all around the globe on Head and Neck Oncology, Wellness, and Mayo Clinic Culture and Leadership.
His publications number over 250 and he has championed surgical approaches for the removal of head and neck tumors that are commonly used today. He is widely recognized for his surgical practice, which was devoted exclusively to head and neck surgery and was one of the largest head and neck surgical practices in the country. Working with the Mayo Clinic Entrepreneurship Program he is active as President of 12 for Health L.L.C.
Dr. Olsen has a career long interest in mentoring, advising, and coaching colleagues, Department and Division Chairs, and many Administrative partners. He currently is coaching several members of the Mayo Clinic staff and enjoys helping and sharing his training as a coach and prior leadership experience in his many roles at Mayo Clinic.
His greatest source of satisfaction is his family, a wonderful wife, four married children, and twelve grandchildren. Dr. Olsen is often found enjoying outdoor activities at his second home in Hood River, Oregon, exercising regularly, or traveling on adventurous outdoor trips around the globe.
EXPERTISE AND INTERESTS:
Establishment of culture and mission in a health care organization
Assisting in a disruptive, adaptable architectural design
Leadership review and training
Assessment of new facility design or remodeling for efficiency of patients and staff
Finding a patient focused medical practice
Building a healthy living program for staff and patients
Setting up a Healthcare organizational and governance structure for success
Key steps in finding and preserving physician satisfaction
Practice adjacencies and collaborations for optimal outcomes and value
Lessons from a 40 year career at Mayo Clinic as a surgeon and physician leader
Strategic planning and effective implementation for results
Identifying the root causes of employee dissatisfaction and burn-out with needed factors for correction
Governance in healthcare and establishing of an effective board structure
Team building that is effective for quality, safety and efficiency
Running meetings and retreats for desired outcomes and staff engagement in a busy medical practice.