Michael DeBakey
Born 1908 · Age 117
American cardiovascular surgeon, inventor, educator and medical statesman whose innovations (roller pump, Dacron grafts, VADs, procedures for aortic aneurysm and carotid endarterectomy) and leadership at Tulane and Baylor College of Medicine transformed cardiovascular surgery and medical education over a ~75–80 year career.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth
Born Michel Dabaghi (later anglicized to DeBakey) in Lake Charles, Louisiana, eldest of five children of Lebanese immigrant parents.
Learned sewing and needlework skills
By age 10 he could cut and sew his own shirts, having learned sewing, crochet and knitting from his mother — skills later used in making early vascular graft prototypes.
High school valedictorian / Entered Tulane premed
Valedictorian of high school and entered the six‑year combined undergraduate/medical program at Tulane University.
Earned Bachelor of Science (Tulane)
Completed the undergraduate portion of the accelerated six‑year program at Tulane University (B.S.).
Developed a version of the roller pump
While a senior medical student, adapted pumps and tubing to create a continuous‑flow roller pump for direct transfusions — later essential to heart–lung machines.
Earned MD (Tulane University School of Medicine)
Received M.D. degree after completing combined program at Tulane University School of Medicine.
Started internship/residency at Charity Hospital
Began internship and residency in surgery at Charity Hospital in New Orleans.
Publication: 'A Simple Continuous Flow Blood Transfusion Instrument' (1934)
Early published paper describing his roller pump/transfusion instrument.
Received M.S. for ulcer research
Awarded an M.S. in 1935 for research on stomach ulcers after residency.
Surgical fellowships in Europe (Strasbourg, Heidelberg)
Completed surgical fellowships under René Leriche (University of Strasbourg) and Martin Kirschner (Heidelberg).
Joined Tulane surgical faculty & married Diana Cooper
Returned from Europe, joined Tulane faculty (served 1937–1948) and married Diana Cooper (nursing supervisor) the same year.
Published association of smoking & lung cancer
With mentor Alton Ochsner, postulated a strong link between cigarette smoking and lung carcinoma.
Joined US Army Surgical Consultants Division (WWII)
Served in the Surgical Consultants Division in the Office of the Army Surgeon General during World War II; assessed surgical services and battlefield care.
Awarded US Army Legion of Merit
Received the Legion of Merit for work in the Surgical Consultants' Division and contributions to military surgical organization.
Helped establish Medical Follow‑Up Agency (National Research Council)
Recommended and helped establish the Medical Follow‑Up Agency to conduct long‑term follow‑up studies on veterans' health.
Helped establish Veterans Administration initiatives
Instrumental in establishing postwar systems of care for veterans, contributing to what evolved into the VA hospital system and Medical Follow‑Up Agency.
Joined Baylor College of Medicine as Chair, Department of Surgery
Accepted chairmanship of Surgery at Baylor University College of Medicine in Houston; built residency programs and recruited staff.
Hoover Commission Task Force on Medical Services (member)
Served on Task Force on Medical Services of the Hoover Commission helping reorganize federal medical services and later advocated for National Library of Medicine.
Hired Denton A. Cooley at Baylor
Recruited younger surgeon Denton Cooley to Baylor (they collaborated until 1969).
First successful abdominal aortic aneurysm resection & graft
Performed one of the first successful resections and graft replacements of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (with homograft then later Dacron).
Performed first successful carotid endarterectomy
Pioneered surgical treatment for stroke by removing obstructive lesions from carotid artery (endarterectomy).
Developed first arterial Dacron grafts
Using polyethylene‑terephthalate (Dacron) fabric bought from a store and his wife's sewing machine, produced the first synthetic arterial grafts; later helped design knitting machine to manufacture grafts.
First successful patch‑graft angioplasty
Invented patch‑graft angioplasty to prevent arterial narrowing after endarterectomy by sewing Dacron or vein patches to widen closure.
Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research
Received the prestigious Lasker Award recognizing pioneering contributions to cardiovascular surgery.
First federally funded grant to develop artificial heart pumps
Received federally funded grant (first of its kind for him) to establish program for development of artificial heart pumps.
Chair, President's Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke
Appointed chair of the President's Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke during the Johnson Administration, influencing national health policy.
Performed first successful coronary artery bypass
Converted experimental coronary bypass techniques from animal models into the first successful human coronary artery bypass operation.
Telemedicine: satellite transmission of open‑heart surgery
Pioneered telemedicine by transmitting open‑heart surgery by satellite overseas (demonstration, Geneva viewers watching Houston operation).
First successful left ventricular bypass pump implantation
First to successfully implant and use a left ventricular assist pump (partial artificial heart) to support a patient.
Led multi‑organ transplant team
Led a historic multiple‑transplant operation in which a donor heart, kidneys and a lung were transplanted to four recipients.
Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (with distinction) for pioneering contributions to medicine and surgery.
Named President of Baylor College of Medicine
Became President of Baylor College of Medicine, serving 1969–1979 and helping elevate the college's national/international stature.
Death of first wife, Diana Cooper
Diana Cooper DeBakey died of a heart attack.
DeBakey Scholar Program established (Baylor honor)
DeBakey Scholar Program established to provide funds to a medical student demonstrating outstanding scholarship (program named in his honor).
Married Katrin Fehlhaber
Married German actress Katrin Fehlhaber (three years after first wife's death).
Michael E. DeBakey International Cardiovascular Surgical Society founded by trainees
DeBakey's trainees founded the society (later renamed Michael E. DeBakey International Surgical Society) to honor his teaching; DeBakey Day and other tributes initiated.
Birth of daughter Olga‑Katarina
Son/daughter: DeBakey's daughter Olga‑Katarina was born (photo dated 1977 with newborn).
Co‑authored 'The Living Heart' (popular book)
Co‑author of The Living Heart (and other Living Heart series titles) which became a New York Times best seller and popularized cardiac health topics.
Assumed post of Chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine
Transitioned from President to Chancellor (served as Chancellor from 1979/1978 until January 1996) and later chancellor emeritus.
Supervised splenectomy for exiled Shah of Iran (Cairo)
Consulted on and supervised surgical team performing splenectomy for Mohammad Reza Pahlavi on March 28, 1980; Shah later died of malignancy July 27, 1980.
Chair, Board of Governors, Foundation for Biomedical Research
Served as chair of FBR, advocating animal research and public understanding of biomedical research.
Reported CMV association studies with atherosclerosis
Published research indicating cytomegalovirus traces in atherosclerotic vessel walls, suggesting possible role in disease origin.
DeBakey Heart Center established (Baylor & The Methodist Hospital)
The DeBakey Heart Center was formed with DeBakey serving as director for research and public education.
National Medal of Science
Awarded the National Medal of Science by President Ronald Reagan for lifetime contributions to surgery and biomedical science.
Multiple awards and recognitions (late 1980s)
Received awards such as the International Platform Assn. George Crile Award and Thomas Alva Edison Foundation Award among others.
Award: Foundation for Biomedical Research Lifetime Achievement (1991)
Received Lifetime Achievement Award from the Foundation for Biomedical Research, reflecting long advocacy for animal research in biomedical science.
Retired as Chair of Department of Surgery at Baylor (end of chairmanship)
Served as chair of surgery at Baylor from 1948 until 1993 (45 years); afterward remained in senior roles as president/chancellor emeritus and active surgeon.
DeBakey Excellence in Research Awards established
Baylor College of Medicine, with funds from the DeBakey Medical Foundation, established annual Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., Excellence in Research Awards in his honor.
Consultant for Boris Yeltsin quintuple‑bypass (Moscow/1996)
Supervised and consulted on quintuple coronary bypass surgery performed by Russian surgeons on President Boris Yeltsin (1996).
Worked with NASA engineers on miniaturized axial‑flow VAD (DeBakey VAD)
Collaborated with NASA to refine an axial‑flow ventricular assist device; European clinical trials of the DeBakey VAD began around 1998.
Oversaw aorta‑coronary bypass for Heydar Aliyev (Cleveland)
Oversaw an aorta‑coronary bypass operation on Azerbaijani president Heydar Aliyev in Cleveland, Ohio on April 29, 1999.
Named a 'Living Legend' by the Library of Congress
Received Library of Congress Bicentennial Living Legend Award in recognition of lifetime achievements.
NASA Invention of the Year Award
Received recognition from NASA for collaborative medical device innovation (work on VADs).
Lomonosov Large Gold Medal (Russian Academy of Sciences)
Awarded the Lomonosov Large Gold Medal for achievements in science (2003).
Houston VA hospital renamed Michael E. DeBakey VAMC
Public Law signed December 6, 2003 officially renaming the Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center in his honor.
Suffered aortic dissection (diagnosed late 2005)
Experienced an aortic dissection; condition DeBakey had pioneered surgery to treat decades earlier.
Underwent surgical repair of aorta (DeBakey procedure) at Houston Methodist
At age 97 (Feb 9–10, 2006) became the oldest person to undergo the aortic surgery he had pioneered; operation lasted seven hours and was performed by George P. Noon and team.
Released from hospital after ~8 month recovery
After complicated postoperative course and ~8 months hospitalized (costs reported over $1,000,000), he was discharged and returned to good health.
Lasker Award renamed Lasker‑DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award (honor)
The Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research was renamed in his honor in 2008 (Lasker‑DeBakey Award).
Received Congressional Gold Medal
On April 23, 2008 President George W. Bush, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid presented the Congressional Gold Medal.
Attended groundbreaking for Michael E. DeBakey Library & Museum
Attended groundbreaking at Baylor College of Medicine for the Michael E. DeBakey Library and Museum honoring his life and work.
Death
Died of natural causes at Houston Methodist Hospital on July 11, 2008; later honored lying in repose at Houston City Hall, memorial service July 16, and buried at Arlington National Cemetery July 18, 2008.
Michael E. DeBakey Library & Museum opened
The Michael E. DeBakey Library and Museum at Baylor College of Medicine officially opened May 14, 2010 (posthumous opening honoring his legacy).
Key Achievement Ages
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