Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin is set to get a new medical director with the new year.

After 43 years of providing care to obstetrics and gynecology patients, John Coppes, M.D., obstetrics and gynecology physician and the current medical director at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin, is retiring on Friday, Nov. 28. Dr. Coppes has been providing care to patients and has delivered over 3,000 babies over the course of his 43 year medical career.

Twelve of those years were at Mayo Clinic Health System’s Austin campus.

To honor Dr. Coppes’ years of service and leadership, a public open house retirement celebration will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 18, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Historic Hormel Home, 208 4th Ave. N.W., Austin.

“Dr. Coppes has been a valued member of our leadership team,” Mark Ciota, M.D., CEO at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin, said in a press release. “He leads by example, with integrity, and has earned the respect of our physicians and other member of our health care team. We wish him well as he embarks on a new journey.”

Darryl Barnes, M.D., Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, will become the new medical director effective Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015. Dr. Barnes is currently the medical staff president for Albert Lea and Austin. He has been seeing patients in Austin since 2009. Dr. Barnes specializes in sports medicine offering non-surgical and minimally invasive solutions to orthopedics and sports medicine conditions, as well as ultrasound guided procedures.