William DeVries

William DeVries, MD, is a distinguished cardiothoracic surgeon whose career in medicine is marked by pioneering advancements in cardiac replacement therapy. A University of Utah alumnus, he earned a B.S. in molecular and genetic biology cum laude in 1966 and an M.D. in 1970 from the University of Utah School of Medicine, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and received the Paul Wintrobe Memorial Award. After completing his internship and surgical residency at Duke University, DeVries returned to the University of Utah in 1979 as an assistant professor of surgery. He became Chairman of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Utah Medical Center in 1980. Under the mentorship of Willem Kolff, his research interests centered on artificial organs, including performing over 200 total artificial heart implants in calves to refine the Jarvik-7 device.

On December 2, 1982, DeVries led the surgical team at the University of Utah Hospital in implanting the first permanent total artificial heart (Jarvik-7) into patient Barney Clark, the only surgeon authorized by the FDA for this procedure. Clark survived 112 days, providing critical insights into device management, anticoagulation, and infection control, as detailed in DeVries' co-authored reports in the New England Journal of Medicine. He continued this work at Humana Hospital-Audubon in Louisville after leaving Utah in 1984, implanting devices in patients including William Schroeder, who lived 620 days. Transitioning to traditional cardiovascular surgery, DeVries maintained a private practice until 1999. In 2000, he joined the U.S. Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel, later serving as Academic Coordinator for Cardiothoracic Surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and, since 2010, as Director of Quality Assurance and Research in the Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Service at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His contributions earned numerous honors, including the Gold Heart Award from the Utah Heart Association (1983), Gold Plate Award (1983), and honorary doctorates from Weber State University (1985) and others. DeVries' innovations profoundly impacted the field of medicine, facilitating the evolution of left ventricular assist devices as bridges to heart transplantation.