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Prestigious Pioneer Award to Stuart Jamieson

March 28, 2017

Stuart W. Jamieson, Dean of Cardiovascular Affairs and Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor of Surgery in UCSD's Department of Surgery, will receive the prestigious Pioneer Award at the 37 th annual meeting of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT), held in San Diego April 5-8, 2017.

"This is a well-deserved recognition for Dr. Jamieson who has for many years embodied the innovative and humanitarian spirit of UC San Diego," says Bryan Clary, Chair of the Department of Surgery. "Dr. Jamieson's enormous contributions in the field of heart and lung transplantation and in the management of chronic pulmonary emboli are internationally appreciated and, through this award, placed alongside all of the great pioneers in this field. Patients at UC San Diego and beyond have greatly benefitted from his intellect, compassion, and dedication over a career that has spanned many decades."

jamieson.jpegJamieson, a cardiothoracic surgeon and expert in pulmonary thromboendarterectomy, is one of the founding members of Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center at UC San Diego Health and is known throughout the world for his ground-breaking research and surgical innovations. Jamieson's patients are among the longest surviving lung and heart transplant patients in the world.

Jamieson, a native of Zimbabwe, when asked about lessons learned over his 40-year career, says: "The most important thing I've learned is that you can't do anything alone. Team effort is everything. This is absolutely the secret of success."

Jamieson, a native of Zimbabwe, when asked about lessons learned over his 40-year career, says: "The most important thing I've learned is that you can't do anything alone. Team effort is everything. This is absolutely the secret of success."

Jamieson trained at Stanford under Dr. Norman Shumway, who performed the first U.S. heart transplant in 1968. He went on to become the director of heart and lung transplantation at Stanford in 1982; became director of the Minnesota Heart and Lung Institute at the University of Minnesota in 1986; and moved, along with his entire team, to UC San Diego in 1989.

The Pioneer in Transplantation Award is bestowed on an ISHLT member for their landmark contributions in the field of heart and/or lung transplantation. Past winners include Christiaan Barnard, MD, Michael DeBakey, MD, and Christian Cabrol, MD. Jamieson's lecture at ISHLT is titled Standing on the Shoulders of Giants and will be delivered at noon, Wednesday April 5th.

The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) is a not-for-profit, multidisciplinary, professional organization dedicated to improving the care of patients with advanced heart or lung disease through transplantation, mechanical support, and innovative therapies via research, education and advocacy.

This year's annual meeting also includes presentation of ("Preliminary Data from the United States CTEPH Registry," (co-authored by Michael Madani, MD, Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery) and "Longest Duration of Successful Recycled Cardiac Allograft in Intermediate Donor" (Travis Pollema, D.O., Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery).

About the Department of Surgery

Established in 1965, the Department of Surgery at UC San Diego represents is home to more than 80 leading surgeons with specialties in open, minimally invasive and scarless surgery techniques. The Department is committed to advancing surgical education by teaching and training the next generation of innovators; researching, testing and developing groundbreaking surgical techniques; providing superior patient care and service; and attracting a world-class faculty.