Dr. Tom Dexter Ivey, MD

Dr. Ivey is a cardiothoracic surgeon, specializing in adult open-heart surgery.

He grew up about 40 miles from Madison in Southwestern Wisconsin in a small town called Mineral Point. Dr. Ivey completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin, where he completed a research fellowship in pharmacology. He then went on to earn his medical degree there as well, graduating with honors from Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AOA). He did his internship at Barnes Hospital at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis, followed by a residency at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.

Prior to accepting his present position, he held numerous appointments with the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine and Medical Center, including Chief, Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. In Seattle, he maintained several hospital appointments and served as Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Chief of the Division from 1982-1988. While …director in Seattle, Dr. Ivey initiated the 1st Cardiac Transplant Program in the Pacific Northwest and while serving as Director in Cincinnati Certified the transplant program for HCFA approval. He joined Ohio Heart and Vascular Center in 2002.

He has authored or coauthored over 100 publications, is the Guidelines Chairman for the Bjork-Shiley Valve Settlement Trust and has served as a regional resource in the training of cardiovascular surgeons in multi-vessel beating heart revascularization and in the development of safe concepts for minimally invasive surgical techniques.

Dr. Ivey is a teacher as well as a heart surgeon. At The Christ Hospital, he teaches cardiac anatomy to RNs and Echo Techs and also does ongoing in-services for TCH ICU and Stepdown units.
Even when he relaxes, he’s focuses on his surgical proficiency. He chose fly fishing as a hobby, and he ties his own flies to maintain his eye/hand coordination skills and to keep his fingers nimble. He also enjoys hunting, mostly pheasants and ducks, so he owns several hunting dogs; Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and English Pointers.

Dr, Ivey and his wife Marianne, a pharmacist, have two grown children. Their son is a urology resident, and their daughter is studying to become a nurse practitioner.

When asked what drives him, Dr. Ivey is emphatic. "Perfection—always. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a total perfectionist in life, but in my surgical procedures, I am absolutely a perfectionist." The most rewarding part of his career is being able to work with people and at the same time do what he loves.