O. H. Frazier, M.D., is a living legend and celebrated for his contributions to the field of mechanical circulatory support and pioneering treatments for patients suffering from heart failure. He performed over 1,200 heart transplants and implanted more than 900 left ventricular assist devices, more than any other surgeon in the world. Today he serves as the Co-Director of Center for Preclinical Surgical & Interventional Research at THI. Show full bio
For more than 30 years, Dr. O. H. Frazier has been a pioneer in the treatment of severe heart failure and in the fields of heart transplantation and artificial devices that may be used either to substitute for or assist the pumping action of the human heart. As a result of his work, he become one of the top transplantation and mechanical circulatory support surgeons in the world. Dr. Frazier performed over 1,200 heart transplants and implanted more than 900 left ventricular assist devices, more than any other surgeon in the world.
Dr. Frazier’s interest in mechanical circulatory support began in 1969, when, as a student at Baylor College of Medicine, he wrote a research paper about the experimental total artificial heart, which was first implanted in 1969 by Dr. Denton Cooley. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Dr. Frazier continued experimental work toward developing an implantable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to aid the failing heart.In 2011, Dr. Frazier implanted the first successful continuous-flow total artificial heart using two second generation HeartMate II LVADs to replace a patient’s failing heart.
Texas Heart Institute Positions
- Director, Cullen Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, Center for Preclinical Surgical & Interventional Research
- Program Director, Cardiac Transplantation, Heart Failure and Assist Device Fellowship
- Teaching Staff, Denton A. Cooley Fellowship
- Editorial Board, Texas Heart Institute Journal
Current Projects
Education
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Undergraduate:
University of Texas
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Medical School:
Baylor College of Medicine
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Residency:
Baylor College of Medicine
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Fellowships:
Texas Heart Institute/Baylor College of Medicine
Academic & Clinical Affiliations
- Baylor College of Medicine
- Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center
Certifications
- American Board of Thoracic Surgery
- American Board of Surgery
Honors, Awards and Memberships
- Lifetime Achievement Award ISHLT
- Lifetime Achievement Award in Life Sciences, Houston Technology Center 2016
- Ray C. Fish Award for Scientific Achievement, Texas Heart Institute
- Living Legend Award, World Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons
- First Annual “Gift to Mankind” Award, American Organ Transplant Association
- The Country's Best Heart Doctors, Good Housekeeping Magazine
- Wilhelm Scholê International Cosmopolis Award
- America’s Top Doctors, Newsweek Magazine
- The Texas Heart Institute Academic Professional Staff
Publications
Recent News
Dr. O.H. Frazier Honored With Lifetime Achievement Award by ASAIO
Dr. O.H. “Bud” Frazier has been named recipient of the prestigious Pushpa and Kewal Krishan Gupta Lifetime Achievement Award in Development...
Dr. O.H. Frazier to Receive Inaugural Pushpa and Kewal Krishan Gupta Lifetime Achievement Award in Development of Therapies for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Diseases from the ASAIO
The ASAIO Board of Trustees has named Dr. O.H. Frazier, recipient of the prestigious Pushpa and Kewal Krishan Gupta Lifetime...
The Texas Heart Institute Leads New NIH-Funded Project to Significantly Improve LVADs
HOUSTON (March 20, 2024) — The Texas Heart Institute® and its collaborators at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech),...