A Living Legacy
O. H. Frazier, MD, was the recipient of the 2021 Scientific Achievement Award from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). Established in 1994, the Award serves to honor individuals who have made scientific contributions to the field of thoracic surgery worthy of the highest recognition that the Association can bestow. Previous Houston recipients include Michael DeBakey, MD (1999) and Denton Cooley, MD (2000), two of the most distinguished cardiothoracic surgeons in the history of the field.
A Singular Honor Further Cements the Texas Heart Institute Surgical Pioneer’s Generational Legacy
THI held a ceremony in Dr. Frazier’s honor, and the First Lady of Houston, Elyse Lanier, presented Dr. Frazier with a City of Houston Proclamation on behalf of Mayor Sylvester Turner. Surgeons from around the world attended virtually and shared their gratitude for Dr. Frazier’s immeasurable contributions to advancing cardiovascular care, which have improved lives around the world.
“As the cornerstone of one of the most dominant and innovative cardiac programs in the world, Dr. O.H. Frazier is a true cardiovascular pioneer whose impact on patients and the specialty is immeasurable. The leadership, innovation, and ingenuity that he has modeled throughout his career have revolutionized the field of heart transplantation and cardiac assist devices. It is truly a distinct honor of my career for the opportunity to present the 2021 Scientific Achievement Award to Dr. Frazier,” said Marc R. Moon, MD, President of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.
For more than 40 years, Dr. Frazier has been dedicated to improving the treatment of severe heart failure and advancing heart transplantation and artificial devices that substitute for or assist with the pumping action of the human heart. He served on the NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Advisory Committee and chaired the original committee that initiated the first federal allocation system for the distribution of hearts for transplantation.
As a result of his work, Dr. Frazier is one of the top transplantation and mechanical circulatory support surgeons in the world. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Dr. Frazier conducted experimental work toward developing an implantable LVAD. In 2011, he implanted the first successful continuous-flow total artificial heart by using two second-generation HeartMate II LVADs to replace a patient’s failing heart.
“Being recognized by one’s peers is something I value to the utmost degree,” Dr. Frazier noted. He added, “I have long respected the work of the AATS and am grateful to the entire organization for selecting me out of so many other worthy individuals. It is an honor to join two of my mentors, Drs. Cooley and DeBakey, in receiving the Scientific Achievement Award. Any award that includes even one of them, let alone both, among its recipients is one that anyone in the medical field would feel immeasurable pride in receiving.”
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