James Witten, MD

Cardiac surgery means an opportunity to change a patient's life dramatically every day. It also means the responsibility of holding their life in our hands. I find that relationship and the trust bestowed on us to be profound. I enjoy the intellectual, technical, and physical challenges of the specialty, the intersection of medicine with technology, necessity of teamwork, and diversity of patient populations. We see our patients for a brief moment in time, however, it is often one of the most impactful, terrifying, stressful, and transformative moments of their lives. They place their trust in us, and my role is to earn that trust through my care- before, during, and after the operation- through recovery. My role is to deliver safe, successful operations with reassurance and support to the patient and their family. Since they have already had to suffer from the disease, my role is to make sure they do not have to suffer from the treatment as well. I grew up in Duxbury, MA, and attended Cornell University, majoring in Biology and graduating cum laude. After graduation, I spent a year researching HIV and tuberculosis in Durban, South Africa and Boston, MA. I subsequently attended Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine followed by the Cleveland Clinic Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery residency- a 6-year cardiac surgery focused training program. Outside of the hospital, I enjoy spending time with my wife and our son -especially outside. We have lived in several different cities during our journey, and enjoy exploring the food and culture, and becoming part of the community. We are excited to be here in Portland and the PNW!