As one
of Mended Hearts' most prestigious awards, the Dwight Emary Harken
Award was created to recognize individuals or organizations for
excellence in the field of cardiovascular medicine. It is named in
honor of Dwight Emary Harken, a pioneer heart surgeon and preeminent
cardiologist considered the "father" of Mended Hearts. Mended Hearts
was founded in Massachusetts in 1951 by one of Dr. Harken's patients,
Doris Silliman.
Past recipients of the award reflect the longstanding tradition of Mended Hearts' partnership with leaders in the field of cardiovascular medicine.
Past Recipients
- 1991 Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH.
- 1992 Michael Wicks Dunaway, President and Chairman of the Board, Psicor, Inc., San Diego, CA.
- 1993 Denton A. Cooley, M.D., and The Texas Heart Institute, Houston, TX.
- 1995 Allan M. Lansing, M.D., Ph.D., of The Advanced Cardiovascular Institute, Louisville, KY
- 1997 Albert Starr, M.D., Albert Starr Academic Center for Cardiac Surgery, St. Vincent Hospital and Medical Center, Portland, OR.
- 1999 Willis Hurst, M.D. of The Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
- 2002 O. Howard Frazier, M.D., Chief, Cardiopulmonary Transplantation, Texas Heart Institute, Houston, TX.
- 2004 Walter Randolph "Ranny" Chitwood, Jr., Senior Associate Vice-Chancellor for Health Affairs and Professor and Chief, Division of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
- 2006 Jack Copeland, M.D.,Chief Section of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery; The Michael Drummond Distinguished Professor of Surgery, Endowed Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery; Medical Director, Cardiac Transplant and Artificial Heart Programs; Director, Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Training Program; Co-Director, University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center; Associate Head, Surgery Clinical Affairs of the Sarver Heart Center at the University of Arizona in Tuscon.
- 2008 Henry B.C. Low, M.D., Director Emeritus, Cardiothoratic Surgery, Hartford Hospital.
- 2010 Medtronics founder and Chairman Emeritus Dr. Earl Bakken.