An internationally renowned cardiothoracic surgeon known for his humility and civility passed away on November 20 at the age of 93.
Vincent L. Gott, MD, became the Society’s 27th President in 1992 after having served as the Society’s Vice President. An STS member for more than 50 years, he also held positions on several committees.
In his STS presidential address, “And It Happened During Our Lifetime…,” Dr. Gott discussed several pioneer surgeons and asked what they all had in common. “The descriptors I would use include brilliance, courage, dogged determination, and unbelievable creativity,” he said. Not surprisingly, those are some of the same words that his colleagues and friends now use as they remember him.
STS Past President, William A. Baumgartner, MD, who was a longtime associate of Dr. Gott, said, "Vince was really a man for all seasons—he was an incredible clinical surgeon, an amazing innovator, and he was gracious, compassionate, and a model of civility. When you think of Vince, a smile comes on your face."
Born in Wichita, Kansas, Dr. Gott had the privilege of spending time with a prominent plastic surgeon in his hometown and observing some of his operations. This experience influenced him to pursue a career in plastic surgery. But all that changed with a sketch and a surgery.
After receiving his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. Gott completed his internship and surgery residency at the University of Minnesota Hospitals. There, Dr. Gott was invited to observe C. Walton Lillehei, MD, as he repaired a congenital heart defect. Dr. Gott later sketched a procedural drawing of the surgery and added it to the patient's record. The skill and detail of the sketch so impressed Dr. Lillehei that he invited Dr. Gott to join his research laboratory. From that point on, Dr. Gott knew that cardiothoracic surgery was his future.
In 1965, Dr. Gott became an associate professor of surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and chief cardiac surgeon for The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he practiced for 55 years.
During his career, Dr. Gott collaborated with some of the greatest minds in medicine, which led to extraordinary contributions. He was the first to perform experiments proving that an electronic stimulator could jump-start the heartbeats of patients—a discovery that led to the development of modern pacemakers. Dr. Gott also revolutionized heart valve designs and performed the first heart transplant operation at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. In addition, Dr. Gott was an expert in treating potentially deadly aortic aneurysms caused by Marfan syndrome.