Michael Ellis DeBakey is a world renowned cardiovascular surgeon, medical inventor, medical statesperson, and teacher who is chancellor of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, chair and Olga Keith Weiss Professor of its department of surgery, and director of the DeBakey Heart Center. He is the recipient of the America's highest civilian honor, the Medal of Honor with Distinction (awarded in 1969), and of the country's highest scientific award, the National Medal of Science (1987). DeBakey is best known for his landmark cardiovascular surgeries , including the first successful implantation of an artificial heart in 1966. He also pioneered the use of artificial arteries and coronary bypass , invented new equipment and instruments, and conducted important research on the causes of arteriosclerosis.

Born on September 7, 1908, in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Shaker Morris and Raheega (Zorba) DeBakey, Michael DeBakey was the oldest of five children. His father was a successful pharmacist and businessperson...