Michael DeBakey

Michael DeBakey
Born	Michel Dabaghi (1908-09-07)September 7, 1908 Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	July 11, 2008(2008-07-11) (aged 99) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Education	Tulane University (BS, MD)
Occupation	Cardiovascular surgeon
Spouses	Diana Cooper ​ ​ (m. 1937; died 1972)​ Katrin Fehlhaber
Children	5
Relatives	Lois DeBakey (sister) Selma DeBakey (sister)
Medical career
Profession	Surgeon
Institutions	Tulane University
Research	Vascular surgery Cardiovascular surgery Heart transplantation
Awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom (1969) National Medal of Science (1987) Lomonosov Gold Medal (2003) Congressional Gold Medal (2008)

Michael Ellis DeBakey (September 7, 1908 – July 11, 2008) was an American general and cardiovascular surgeon, scientist and medical educator who became Chairman of the Department of Surgery, President, and Chancellor of Baylor College of Medicine at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas.^[1] His career spanned nearly eight decades.

Born to Lebanese immigrants, DeBakey was inspired to pursue a career in medicine by the physicians that he had met at his father's drug store, and he simultaneously learned sewing skills from his mother. He subsequently attended Tulane University for his premedical course and Tulane University School of Medicine to study medicine. At Tulane, he developed a version of the roller pump, which he initially used to transfuse blood directly from person to person and which later became a component of the heart–lung machine. Following early surgical training at Charity Hospital, DeBakey was encouraged to complete his surgical fellowships in Europe, before returning to Tulane University in 1937. During World War II, he worked in the Surgical Consultants Division of the Office of the Army Surgeon General, and later was involved in the establishment of the Veterans Administration.

DeBakey's surgical innovations included novel procedures to repair aortic aneurysms and dissections, the development of ventricular assist devices, and the introduction of prosthetic vascular substitutes. DeBakey received a number of awards, including the Albert Lasker Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, and the Congressional Gold Medal. In addition, a number of institutions bear his name.