Wednesday
April 24, 2024 
Dr. Richard Highbloom has been appointed the inaugural Marvin and Dee Ann Woodall Endowed Chair in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Doylestown Hospital.
Appointing the first endowed chair in the health system’s nearly 100-year history signifies another milestone in Doylestown Health’s ongoing campaign of program enhancements.
Doylestown Hospital has been recognized nationally for cardiovascular services, including a ranking by IBM Watson Health of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in 2020, and in multiple rankings of high performing hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 2021-22.
As chief and medical director of cardiothoracic surgery at Doylestown Hospital, Highbloom brings more than three decades of surgical practice and scholarship to his new role. He comes to Doylestown from Cooper University Hospital in New Jersey where he was assistant professor of surgery at Cooper University Medical School of Rowan University.
Highbloom attended Temple University School of Medicine and completed his internship and residencies at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia and The Hospital of Good Samaritan in Los Angeles.
Highbloom holds certifications from the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Select clinical interests include coronary revascularization and minimally invasive cardiac surgery techniques. Recognized as a regional Top Doctor by Philadelphia Magazine, Highbloom’s work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including The Annals of Thoracic Surgery and Perfusion. He is a member of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery.
“I am honored to receive this appointment at Doylestown Hospital and look forward to continuing to provide patients with evidence-based approaches in an environment where hands-on, personalized attention is the norm, not the exception,” said Highbloom. “I am grateful to Marvin and DeAnn Woodall for their visionary generosity and for their support of this program.”
Establishing its first-ever endowed chair is another step in the health system’s commitment to investing more in training and teaching. Recently, Doylestown Health established its first teaching program with a residency in pharmacy and launched a family medicine residency this year.
“An endowed chair is among the highest forms of recognition for a physician’s scholarship, teaching, and expertise. Endowed chairs help attract top talent from around the country and retain top physician leaders,” said Jim Brexler, president, and chief executive officer of Doylestown Health.
“Donors like Marv and DeeAnn Woodall who establish endowed chairs leave a powerful legacy,” he continued.
The Woodalls have contributed generously to Doylestown Health for more than 30 years, including the Emergency Department Campaign, Friends of the Heart Institute, the Woodall Chest Pain Center, and the Nursing Scholarship Program. Their early support of ONE VISION: The Campaign for Doylestown Health established the Woodall Center for Heart and Vascular Care, which centralizes all cardiovascular services at Doylestown Hospital within a single, comprehensive program.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Highbloom to Doylestown Hospital as the first Woodall Endowed Chair,” says Marvin Woodall. “DeeAnn and I were impressed by Dr. Highbloom’s dedication to research, teaching, and patient care and we are confident in the successful outcomes he will provide for countless patients.”
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