From 1978–92, he worked at Emory University, starting as a research Fellow, up to full Professor of Surgery and Director of Liver Transplant.

[3][4][5] Henderson’s medical career began in Edinburgh, Scotland where he trained in general surgery to become a fellow at the Royal College of Surgeons.

[6] In 1992, Henderson was appointed Chairman of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic and Director of the Transplant Center.

[6] Henderson has served on the World Health Organization Global Leaders Panel on the Leaders Guide on Patient Safety and Quality of Care in Service Delivery;[8] The Joint Commission’s Center for Transforming Healthcare Advisory Board;[9] and the WellPoint National Quality Advisory Panel.

Through his work in quality improvement, he chaired the American College of Surgeons’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Advisory Committee;[10] and the National Institutes of Health’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board for Living Liver Donor Studies.