1940s
Baylor University College of Medicine moves from Dallas to Houston and becomes a member of the TMC in 1943.
In 1948, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey accepts the chairship of the Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine.
1950s
In 1951, Dr. Denton Cooley joins the faculty of Baylor College of Medicine.
Michael E. DeBakey performs first successful carotid endarterectomy in 1953, establishing the field of surgery for strokes.
Denton Cooley and Dan McNamara start the Heart Center at Texas Children’s Hospital in 1954.
Denton Cooley performs first open-heart operation in 1956
1960s
Texas Heart Institute is established in 1962 by Dr. Denton Cooley.
Michael E. DeBakey performs first successful aortocoronary- artery bypass with autogenous vein graft at Methodist Hospital in 1964.
Dr. Denton Cooley performs the first successful human heart transplant in the United States in 1968.
1970s
Dr. Mark L. Entman is recruited to Baylor College of Medicine as an assistant professor.
First School of Perfusion Technology established at Texas Heart Institute in the US in 1971. It remains one of the few accredited programs of its kind in the country.
Cardiovascular Surgery Research (CVSR) Laboratories established in 1972 to advance the understanding and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
First in-world intra-abdominal left ventricular assist device (ALVAD) performed by John C. Norman in 1976.
NIH funded Demonstration Center of the Heart and Vessel Diseases established at Baylor College of Medicine in 1976 under the leadership of Dr. Mark L. Entman. The Center later became known as the DeBakey Heart Center in 1985.
First T32 Cardiovascular Sciences Training Grant awarded to Julius C. Allen, Ph.D. at Baylor College of Medicine in 1979. The training program is currently funded by NIH.
1980s
In 1981, the NHLBI awards Dr. Antonio Gotto with a P60 grant for a Specialized Center of Research in Atherosclerosis to study lipoprotein structure and metabolism.
The NHLBI awards Dr, Antonio Gotto a SCOR grant for his work titled “A/S SCOR Structure and Metabolism of Plasma Lipoproteins” in 1983. The work was funded for a decade.
Dr. O.H. Frazier develops the AbioCor artificial heart in 1985.
American Heart Association establishes the Bugher Centers for Training in Molecular Biology of the Cardiovascular system. Baylor College of Medicine is one of six Centers funded from 1986-1996.
1990s
Dr. Mark L. Entman awarded a program project grant from the NHLBI for his work titled “Role of Inflammation in Early Myocardial Ischemia” in 1991.
The Cardiovascular Sciences Graduate Program is founded by Drs. Mark L. Entman and Julius C. Allen in 1992. Twenty-two students were enrolled during the inaugural year and the first student graduated in 2000.
Dr. Christie Ballantyne is first to report the association of levels of adhesion molecules with severe dyslipidemia, transplant rejection, and cardiovascular events in 1996.
Dr. Mark L. Entman becomes the Scientific Director at the DeBakey Heart Center in 1997.
The Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital is founded by Dr. John Belmont in 1997.
2000s
Dr. Christie Ballantyne is one of the earliest investigators to publish one of the first papers suggesting that LpPLA2 would not be a successful target of therapy for atherosclerosis in 2000.
In 2006, under the leadership of James F. Martin, MD, PhD; the Martin laboratory developed the first mouse model of Pitx2 (paired-like heomodomain 2).
2010s
Dr. James F. Martin’s laboratory reports that Pitx2 inhibits atrial arrhythmias using a mouse model in 2010. The works are published in the PNAS journal.
In 2010, the laboratory led by Dr. Miguel A. Cruz is first in linking high levels of extracellular hemoglobin to thrombosis at a high shear stress.
Drs. William Cohn and O.H. Frazier develop and implant a continuous-flow total heart replacement device (HeartMate II LVAD) in patient with end-stage heart failure in 2011.
Texas Children’s Hospital ranked #1 in the nation for cardiology and heart surgery care by U.S. News and World Reports in 2016. The ranking stands current as of 2021.
The Dr. Mark L. Entman Endowment is awarded to Baylor College of Medicine by the Medallion Foundation in 2016. Dr. Entman announced as Chairman of the Board for the Foundation.
Texas Children’s Hospital announces its Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Program in 2017.
BCM faculty member Dr. Na Li is the first to demonstrate a causal link between the NLRP3 inflammasome and the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation in 2018.
In 2019, Texas Children’s Hospital announces Drs. Peter Ermis and Edward Hickey as new leaders of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) Program.
