Jean Snedegar Published

Geoffrey Cousins – Heart Pioneer

Dr. Geoffrey Cousins
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Dr. Geoffrey Cousins, 42, is one of West Virginia’s most innovative heart surgeons and a pioneer of robotic-assisted heart surgery in the United States.  He lives with his wife and four children in Charleston and practices cardio-thoracic surgery at the Charleston Area Medical Center. 

The youngest of 11 children of a McDowell County coal miner, Cousins grew up in a close-knit African-American community.  Due to his father’s on-going health problems, he traveled with his parents to hospitals and doctors’ offices across southern West Virginia, seeking help that didn’t materialize.  At a young age Cousins decided that one day he would help others in a way that his father was not helped.

After his father’s retirement, the family moved to Detroit, but Geoffrey Cousins never forgot his dream.  After finishing his education and medical training, he returned to his beloved West Virginia to provide cutting-edge heart surgery to the state’s residents, especially those who are underserved.