Mayo Clinic is naming the new regional vice president of its southeast Minnesota region.

On Wednesday Dr. Robert Albright was named regional vice president. He’s taking over for Dr. Bobbie Gostout who has been interim regional vice president.

Dr. Gostout is retiring at the end of this month after 24 years at Mayo Clinic.

The southeast region includes hospitals and clinics in Albert Lea, Austin, Redwing and surrounding communities.

Dr. Albright says he’ll continue to explore access to health care for rural communities through telemedicine which he says has been a necessity during the pandemic.

He explained, “It's worked out really well. I think it highlights the real benefits of how we focus on every single patient at Mayo and how we can now apply the expertise across the whole system to individuals no matter where the heck they live.”

In a news release Mayo Clinic says Dr. Albright and Dr. Gostout will work together closely in the upcoming weeks to ensure a smooth transition.

You can read the full release below:

Robert Albright Jr., D.O., a Mayo Clinic nephrologist, has been named regional vice president, Southeast Minnesota Region, Mayo Clinic Health System.

Dr. Albright will be the physician leader for Mayo Clinic's community practice in Southeast Minnesota, a region that includes hospitals and clinics in Albert Lea, Austin, Cannon Falls, Faribault, Lake City, Owatonna and Red Wing, Minnesota, and surrounding communities. He succeeds Bobbie Gostout, M.D., president of Mayo Clinic Health System, who will retire at the end of the year. Dr. Gostout has been serving in an interim capacity as regional vice president, Southeast Minnesota Region, Mayo Clinic Health System, since January.

Dr. Albright's partners in leading regional operations are Eric Crockett, regional chair of administration, Southeast Minnesota Region, Mayo Clinic Health System, and Cheristi Cognetta-Rieke, D.N.P., chief nursing officer, Southeast Minnesota Region, Mayo Clinic Health System.

Dr. Albright received his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in nephrology and critical care at Mayo Clinic. After joining Mayo Clinic in 2001, Dr. Albright worked in Rochester and across Mayo Clinic Health System, serving as medical director of dialysis units and programs in Albert Lea, La Crosse and Rochester. After more than six years of serving as chair of the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at Mayo Clinic in Rochester he will be stepping away from this role to assume his new duties. He will continue to be clinically active regionally and in Rochester.

In his new role, Dr. Albright will lead the regional staff and be responsible for the clinical and financial performance of Southeast Minnesota operations. Dr. Albright will promote and expand Mayo Clinic Health System's goal of delivering excellent outcomes, affordable care, and convenient access to Mayo Clinic knowledge and expertise to patients when, where and how they need it. This will include balancing digital and virtual options with in-person care, while ensuring all services remain patient-focused.

"In Rochester and across Mayo Clinic Health System, Dr. Albright has demonstrated his ability to lead Mayo teams to solutions that improve outcomes for our patients and are sustainable for our communities," says Dr. Gostout. "His commitment to community practice and experience in the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine will be invaluable as this team continues to integrate the world-class resources available in Rochester into our local care options in Southeast Minnesota."

"I am excited and humbled to be appointed regional vice president of the Southeast Minnesota Region," says Dr. Albright. "Over the years, I've seen how important it is for Rochester and Mayo Clinic Health System to provide seamless care for the patients — our colleagues, neighbors, friends and families who depend on us. I look forward to working with the exceptional Southeast Minnesota team to build a sustainable model of health care that leverages technology to meet patient expectations for convenient, accessible care, while maintaining the human touch."

Dr. Albright will work closely with Dr. Gostout in the upcoming weeks to ensure a smooth transition of leadership responsibilities.