Biography - Michael W. Cleman, MD

Michael Cleman, MD, is an interventional cardiologist and focuses on adult structural heart disease (defects or disorders in the heart’s valves). 

Dr. Cleman says he became interested in medicine after participating in independent research studies in high school and college. One program in college with a cardiologist convinced him that cardiology was the right career for him. 

“It was an exciting time. Everything was moving very quickly and there was so much enthusiasm around the coronary field,” Dr. Cleman says. 

He came to Yale in the early 1980s to do research in electrophysiology but ended up in the catheterization lab and performing angioplasty procedures. He became involved in the original studies and applications of what were then novel technologies—coronary stents (devices that keep the coronary arteries open to treat heart disease), rotational atherectomy(a procedure that removes plaque that clogs coronary arteries), and intravascular ultrasound. 

“We were one of the first three or four people in the United States to do coronary stents, and one of the first to do rotational atherectomy,” he says. 

Today, Dr. Cleman’s clinical work includes stents and diagnostic procedures, as well as TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement), and mitral valve clip placements. 

The best part of his job, Dr. Cleman says, is the variety—and helping to train the next generation of physicians. He also enjoys working with patients and describes himself as laid-back and approachable. 

“I have a lot of experience, and I have watched how things have progressed. It’s reassuring to tell patients where things were and where they are now,” he says. “The changes have been dramatic and there are so many different treatments we can offer.” 

Dr. Cleman’s clinical research interests include structural heart disease. 

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