Pioneer Heart Surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBakey
Dr. DeBakey was honored profusely throughout his lifetime by the medical community and the general public. Numerous medical facilities are named after him in this country and around the world. He received countless awards for his technical and social achievements in medicine. Among these honors were the American Medical Association’s Distinguished Service Award (1959), the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research (1963), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1969), and the National Medal of Science (1987). More recently, he was the first foreign member elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences (1999), was given the Library of Congress Bicentennial Living Legend Award (2000), and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in April 2008.
In his death, Dr. DeBakey was the first Houston resident given the honor of lying in state at City Hall and, at the request of his family, he lay dressed in his characteristic glasses, scrubs, and white coat for viewing by long lines of the general public.
Suggested readings
