Geisinger welcomes cardiac surgeon into leadership roles

DANVILLE, Pa. – An accomplished surgeon and experienced leader in his field, John Conte, M.D., has joined Geisinger as chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery and vice chair of the Geisinger Heart Institute. 

Dr. Conte brings more than 25 years of clinical practice to the heart care team at Geisinger, and he provides surgical care in addition to serving in his leadership capacity. He currently cares for adult patients at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre and Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton. 

Dr. Conte specializes in minimally invasive aortic and mitral-valve surgery. He is an expert in valve repair and replacement, and – in patients with abnormalities of the aorta, such as aortic aneurysms – valve-sparing aortic root surgery. He also has a special interest in complex and re-operative cardiac surgery. 

Dr. Conte earned his medical degree at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he also completed a residency in surgery and served as a fellow in cardiovascular research. He accomplished fellowship training in cardiothoracic surgery at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California. 

Before coming to Geisinger, Dr. Conte was Professor of Surgery and held leadership roles at the University of Maryland Medical Center, The Johns Hopkins University Hospital and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and has served as a member and officer in many professional organizations. 

Throughout his career, Dr. Conte has been an academic surgeon known for clinical research and his ability to mentor and train young cardiac surgeons. He is committed to remaining an active, practicing surgeon while driving innovative therapies in the Geisinger Heart Institute. 

About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the nonprofit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 126 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $15 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.