Chang, Victor (1936-1991), a Chinese-born Australian surgeon, was known for pioneering heart transplant surgery in Australia . In 1984, Chang established the National Heart Transplant Program at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney . Under his direction, the program performed over 200 heart transplant operations.
Victor Peter Chang was born on Nov. 21, 1936, in Shanghai , China . His birth name was Chang Yam Him. He moved to Australia in 1951 and studied medicine at the University of Sydney , graduating in 1963. He traveled to the United Kingdom in 1965, where he trained in heart surgery. In 1970, he continued training in the United States at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He returned to Australia in 1972 and worked at St. Vincent’s Hospital. The first heart transplant operation in Australia had been performed there in 1968. During his career, Chang established the hospital as the premier center for heart transplant surgery in Australia.
Chang also worked to improve medical care and training throughout Australia and Asia . He founded the Australasian-China Medical Education and Scientific Research Foundation (now called the Victor Chang Foundation). The foundation sponsors medical professionals and students from Southeast Asia to receive training in Australia. Chang also developed an inexpensive artificial heart valve that has been used to treat thousands of patients, mainly in Southeast Asia. In addition, he conducted research on the development of an artificial heart . In 1986, Victor Chang was made a Companion of the Order of Australia . He died on July 4, 1991.
