Ray C. Fish Award for Scientific Achievement Special Presentation 2025

The debt of gratitude The Texas Heart Institute owes the late Ray C. Fish can never be repaid, for it was through the Ray C. Fish Foundation that the Institute received an initial $5 million gift—an investment that is equivalent to a donation of $45 million today. The faith implicit in the award enabled The Texas Heart Institute trustees to obtain another $5 million to construct facilities sufficient to house the growing number of heart patients who were coming to the Institute in the 1960s.

Although Ray C. Fish lived in Houston and suffered from a heart ailment, he never had the opportunity to see the good his money produced for heart patients around the world. However, the family of Mr. Fish, who serve as trustees of the Ray C. Fish Foundation, have continued their involvement with The Texas Heart Institute through their annual generous support.

In 1972, to honor Mr. Fish’s valuable gift, The Texas Heart Institute established the Ray C. Fish Award for Scientific Achievement.  The award recognizes those whose innovations have made significant contributions to cardiovascular medicine and surgery.

Past Recipients of the Texas Heart Institute Ray C. Fish Award for Scientific Achievement