Houston's Greatest

Michael Ellis DeBakey (born Michel Dabaghi on September 7, 1908, in Lake Charles, Louisiana) is a pioneering cardiovascular surgeon and researcher. His motto is "Strive for nothing less than excellence."

Dr. DeBakey is best known for his pioneering work in cardiovascular surgery. In 1948, Dr. DeBakey moved to Houston, Texas, and became chairman of the Cora and Webb Mading Department of Surgery at the Baylor University College of Medicine. Dr. DeBakey was one of the first to perform coronary artery bypass surgery, and in 1953 he performed the first successful carotid endarterectomy. In recognition of his work, he received the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research in 1963. In 1965 Time Magazine featured Dr. DeBakey on its cover for his pioneering work and innovations in cardiovascular surgery and the artificial heart. In 1971, he was placed on the master list of Nixon political opponents.

DeBakey worked together with Denton Cooley, while they both practiced at Baylor College of Medicine. According to the April 18, 1969 issue of Time magazine, they had a disagreement. Cooley implanted the first artificial heart without DeBakey, angering DeBakey.

To the amazement of his colleagues and patients, Dr. DeBakey continued to practice medicine into an age well after most others have retired. In 1969, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. During the same year, the Baylor College of Medicine separated from Baylor University under his direction. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan awarded him the National Medal of Science. Dr. DeBakey has operated on more than 60,000 patients, including Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who called him "a magician of the heart" after Dr. DeBakey and a team of American cardiothoracic surgeons, including Dr. George Noon, supervised quintuple bypass surgery performed on Yeltsin by Russian surgeons in 1996.

Both the DeBakey High School for Health Professions and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston in the Texas Medical Center in Houston are named after him. Several atraumatic vascular surgical clamps and forceps that he introduced also bear his name.

Dr. DeBakey still practices medicine to this day. In 2008, Dr. Michael DeBakey will be 100 years old. His contributions to the field of medicine will have spanned the better part of 75 years. He's a Health Care Hall of Famer and a Lasker Luminary. He's a recipient of The United Nations Lifetime Achievement Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction and The National Medal of Science. He was given the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Foundation for Biomedical Research and in 2000 was cited as a "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress.