Dr. Austen is internationally recognized for his contributions as a cardiac surgeon, teacher and clinical investigator.
BOSTON, MA, May 19, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- W. Gerald Austen has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Dr. Austen received his BS degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his MD degree from Harvard Medical School (HMS). He did his general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery residencies at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) as well as completed additional training in England. Following two years of clinical and research work at the National Heart Institute, Dr. Austen returned to the MGH in 1963 to lead the development of modern heart surgery at the MGH. Over a very short period of time, he developed a world-class cardiac surgical program at the MGH. He became Professor of Surgery at HMS in 1966 at the age of 36 and was named the Churchill Professor of Surgery in 1974. Dr. Austen was appointed Chief of the Surgical Services at the MGH in 1969 at the age of 39; a position he held for almost 29 years and over that period he and his associates developed the MGH surgical program into one of the great departments of surgery in this country.
Dr. Austen is internationally recognized for his contributions as a cardiac surgeon, teacher and clinical investigator. He has contributed greatly to the improved care of the cardiac surgical patient and to the understanding of the physiologic events that occur during open heart surgery. He was a pioneer in the surgical treatment of many of the complications of coronary artery disease and in the development of circulatory support systems to aid the failing heart.
Dr. Austen was the Founding President and CEO of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, now the largest multi-specialty group practice in New England. He was the first MGH physician elected to the MGH Board of Trustees. Dr. Austen was a Founding Trustee of the Partners HealthCare System.
Dr. Austen is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has been President of a host of major national medical societies including the Association for Academic Surgery, the Society of University Surgeons, the American Surgical Association, the American Heart Association, the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and the American College of Surgeons. Other honors include the Gold Heart Award and the Paul Dudley White Heart Award of the American Heart Association, the Nathan Smith Distinguished Service Award of the New England Surgical Society, and Honorary Fellowship in the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He has been awarded four honorary doctoral degrees. At the time of Dr. Austen's retirement as Chief of Surgery at the MGH, the MGH Trustees honored Dr. Austen by awarding him the MGH Trustees Gold Medal and HMS recognized his many accomplishments by creating the W. Gerald Austen Chair in Surgery at HMS and the MGH.
Dr. Austen continues to be very active in numerous roles at the MGH, HMS and throughout the Partners HealthCare System. He is Chairman of the MGH Chiefs' Council, and since 1980 he has served as Co-chair of the MGH Philanthropy Program. He continues to serve as the Churchill Distinguished Professor of Surgery at HMS and the MGH. In 2010 the MGH dedicated the 150 bed inpatient facility in the new Lunder building, the W. Gerald Austen, M.D. Inpatient Care Pavillion. In 2016, Dr. Austen was honored with the National Physician of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award by Castle Connolly Medical.
About Marquis Who's Who :
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America , Marquis Who's Who has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America , Who's Who in the World , Who's Who in American Law , Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare , Who's Who in Science and Engineering , and Who's Who in Asia . Marquis publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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