Bio coming soon...
Victor Chang Memorial Lecture
A 15-year-old Victor Chang arrived in Sydney in 1951, after being sent from Hong Kong by his father, to avoid the political unrest and, to further his education. He was enrolled, as a non-English speaking student, into a local high school and by 1962 graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (Distinction in Surgery).
After university he worked extensively in the UK, and on his return to Australia in 1972 was appointed as a cardiothoracic surgeon at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney. At this time, he worked alongside eminent heart surgeons Dr Harry Windsor and Dr Mark Shanahan, helping to build the reputation of the cardiothoracic surgical unit at St Vincent’s.
He was instrumental in establishing the National Heart Transplant Program and in 1984, Dr Chang led a team at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital to perform what is regarded as Australia’s first successful heart transplant.
Dr Chang's passion for his work and for his Chinese heritage motivated him to lead and fund Australian teams of doctors, surgeons, and nurses to visit Asia to train and teach in cutting-edge cardiovascular surgical techniques. Additionally, Asian doctors were brought to Australia to live, study and learn, returning home with greatly improved skills and an opportunity to be at the forefront of cardiovascular management.
Dr Chang was continually improving techniques used in cardiovascular surgery and the management of heart disease. He invented an artificial heart valve known as the “St Vincent’s Heart Valve” and was in the process of finalising the Chang Heart Assist Device (CHAD), an artificial heart, before he was tragically killed on 4 July 1991.
An important aspect of his work and mission continues through the Victor Chang Foundation, a charity that he established in 1984. The Foundation raises money to train heart surgeons from Asia in Australia.
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