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39 Years Since the First Heart Transplant
Who was Dr Victor Chang?
Dr Victor Chang (21 November 1936 - 4 July 1991) was one of Australia’s most gifted heart surgeons, a pioneer of modern heart transplant surgery and a humanitarian.
A national hero, Victor Chang was hailed as “the most prominent doctor in the southern hemisphere”, and his revolutionary work in the field of heart transplantation had implications for cardiac patients, not only in Australia and Southeast Asia but around the globe.
Dr Chang personally saved hundreds of lives. In 1984 he led a team of surgeons who successfully performed a heart transplant on schoolgirl, Fiona Coote. At the age of 14, Fiona defied all odds to become Australia’s youngest heart transplant survivor, and some 38 years later remains very well.
