Victor Chang
Encyclopedia
Victor Peter Chang, AC (born Chang Yam Him; 21 November 1936 – 4 July 1991), was a Chinese Australian
cardiac surgeon
and a pioneer of modern heart transplantation
. Born in Shanghai
to Australian-born Chinese parents, he grew up in Hong Kong
before moving to Australia. After completing his medical studies at the University of Sydney
and working in St Vincent's Hospital
, he trained in England and the United States as a surgeon before returning to Australia. In St Vincent's Hospital, he helped establish the National Cardiac Transplant Unit, the country's leading centre for heart and lung transplants. Chang's team had a high success rate in performing heart transplantations and he pioneered the development of an artificial heart valve
.
In 1986, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for his "service to international relations between Australia and China and to medical science". In 1991, Chang died after being shot in a failed extortion attempt against him. His legacy includes the creation of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
, being voted Australian of the Century at the People's Choice Awards
, and the establishment of the Victor Chang Lowy Packer Building in St Vincent's Hospital.
to Australian-born Chinese parents. He grew up in Hong Kong
where he attended primary school in Kowloon Tong
and spent two years in St. Paul's College
. He moved to Australia in 1953 where he attended Belmore Boys High School and completed his secondary education at Christian Brothers' High School
. In 1960, he graduated as a Bachelor of Medical Science with first class honours at the University of Sydney
and with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1962. With heart surgeon Mark Shanahan as his teacher, Chang worked for two years as an intern in St Vincent's Hospital
before Shanahan sent him to England to train with London surgeon Aubrey York Mason.
Chang became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1966 and trained in cardiothoracic surgery
at the Royal Brompton Hospital
. In London, he met and married his wife Ann (née Simmons). He spent two years in the United States at the Mayo Clinic
and became chief resident
. In 1972, he returned to St Vincent's Hospital, where he was a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon and was appointed Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
in 1973 and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
in 1975.
s in 1980 made heart transplants more feasible, and Chang lobbied politicians and businessmen to raise funds to establish a heart transplant program at St. Vincent's. On 8 April 1984, a team of doctors led by Chang operated on 14-year old Fiona Coote
who became Australia's youngest heart transplant patient.
Between 1984 and 1990 Dr. Chang's unit performed over 197 heart transplants and 14 heart-lung transplant
s. The unit had a high rate of success with 90% of those receiving transplants from the unit surviving beyond the first year. In 1986, Victor Chang was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia
(AC) "In recognition of service to international relations between Australia and China and to medical science".
Concerned about a shortage of organ donors, he arranged financing and assembled a team of scientists and engineers from around the world to develop an artificial heart. That team, working in Singapore, Guangzhou and Sydney, also developed mechanical and tissue heart valves called the St. Vincent's Heart Valves, which were widely implanted throughout Asia. Dr. Chang and his team also made significant progress on the design of an artificial heart. His research projects ended with his death.
attempt. His body was found slumped in the gutter next to his car in Mosman. Two Malaysian men, Chew Seng (Ah Sung) Liew and Choon Tee (Phillip) Lim, ran their car into Chang's vehicle, forcing him to pull over. After Chang refused to give them money and got into an argument with them, Liew fired the fatal shots. He was sentenced to 26 years in prison with a non-parole period of 20 years. Lim received a minimum of 18 years and a maximum of 24 years. Liew pleaded guilty and Lim pleaded not guilty, claiming he did not know Liew had a gun. Another man, Stanley Ng, abandoned an extortion plan a day before the murder. He had unsuccessfully tried detaining Chang twice to force him to give A$3 million. Ng was granted immunity for his evidence. The prosecution alleged the plan had been to abduct Chang, tie him up with his family at his home in Clontarf
, and threaten to hang them to coerce Chang into withdrawing money from the bank. In his ruling, Supreme Court Judge John Slattery stated, "It was an absurd, improbable plan, always doomed to failure".
On 26 October 2009, Lim was awarded parole. Following a public outcry and objection by the New South Wales Corrective Services Minister, John Robertson
, his release was put on hold, pending another parole hearing. In the New South Wales Supreme Court, that decision was quashed due to the Parole Authority making a procedural error. Lim was freed from Parramatta Correctional Centre
on 1 March 2010 into the custody of immigration officers. He was to be deported back to Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia, on 2 March, but the flight was cancelled for "technical reasons". He was flown out of Australia on 3 March.
, a body intended to focus on researching "the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart muscle diseases", was launched by Prime Minister
Paul Keating
with Kerry Packer
as its patron. The "Dr Victor Chang Science Labs" in Christian Brothers' High School
are named after him. In 1999, Prime Minister John Howard
announced Chang as Australian of the Century at the People's Choice Awards
after a decision between two Australian larrikins
and two lifesavers. Swimmer Dawn Fraser
, cricketer Donald Bradman
, and ophthalmologist Fred Hollows
were other contenders.
In St Vincent's Hospital
, the Victor Chang Lowy Packer Building was established in 2008 with A$35 million from the state government and $45 million in corporate and private donations. Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
officially opened the building and declared that Chang "was an original thinker and saw the need for research and the development of heart assist devices and, not least, he is known for his legendary caring for his patients and their families". In Time
magazine's "A Golden Anniversary" article, which lists people who have shaped the last "50 Years In the South Pacific" (1959–2009), Chang was listed as the figure of 1979–1989.
Chinese Australian
Chinese Australian is an Australian of Chinese heritage. In the 2006 Australian Census, 669,890 Australian residents identified themselves as having Chinese ancestry, either alone or with another ancestry....
cardiac surgeon
Cardiac surgeon
A cardiac surgeon is a surgeon who performs cardiac surgery—operative procedures on the heart and great vessels.-Training:A cardiac surgery residency typically comprises anywhere from six to nine years of training to become a fully qualified surgeon...
and a pioneer of modern heart transplantation
Heart transplantation
A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplantation, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease. As of 2007 the most common procedure was to take a working heart from a recently deceased organ donor and implant it into the...
. Born in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
to Australian-born Chinese parents, he grew up in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
before moving to Australia. After completing his medical studies at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
and working in St Vincent's Hospital
St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney
St Vincent's Public Hospital, Sydney is located in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst. Though part of the New South Wales state public health system it remains under the auspices of the Sisters of Charity.-History:...
, he trained in England and the United States as a surgeon before returning to Australia. In St Vincent's Hospital, he helped establish the National Cardiac Transplant Unit, the country's leading centre for heart and lung transplants. Chang's team had a high success rate in performing heart transplantations and he pioneered the development of an artificial heart valve
Artificial heart valve
An artificial heart valve is a device implanted in the heart of a patient with heart valvular disease. When one of the four heart valves malfunctions, the medical choice may be to replace the natural valve with an artificial valve. This requires open-heart surgery.Valves are integral to the normal...
.
In 1986, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for his "service to international relations between Australia and China and to medical science". In 1991, Chang died after being shot in a failed extortion attempt against him. His legacy includes the creation of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
The Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute or VCCRI is a scientific institution based in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia. The institute opened in 1994, three years after the death of renowned heart surgeon Dr Victor Chang...
, being voted Australian of the Century at the People's Choice Awards
People's Choice Awards (Australia)
-1999:Favourite TV Star-1999:Favourite TV Star-1999:Favourite TV Star:Winner:::Lisa McCune, Blue Heelers, Seven Network:Nominated:::Colin Friels, Water Rats, Nine Network::Rebecca Gibney, Halifax f.p., Nine Network...
, and the establishment of the Victor Chang Lowy Packer Building in St Vincent's Hospital.
Education and medical training
Chang was born in ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
to Australian-born Chinese parents. He grew up in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
where he attended primary school in Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong
Kowloon Tong , formerly Kau Lung Tong, is an area in Hong Kong. Within New Kowloon, it is administratively divided by Kowloon City District and Sham Shui Po District...
and spent two years in St. Paul's College
St. Paul's College, Hong Kong
St. Paul's College is an Anglican day school for boys in Mid Levels, Hong Kong and is located adjacent to University of Hong Kong. Established in 1851, it is the oldest secondary school in Hong Kong that is still in operation...
. He moved to Australia in 1953 where he attended Belmore Boys High School and completed his secondary education at Christian Brothers' High School
Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham
Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham , is a Roman Catholic, day school for boys, located in Lewisham, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
. In 1960, he graduated as a Bachelor of Medical Science with first class honours at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
and with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1962. With heart surgeon Mark Shanahan as his teacher, Chang worked for two years as an intern in St Vincent's Hospital
St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney
St Vincent's Public Hospital, Sydney is located in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst. Though part of the New South Wales state public health system it remains under the auspices of the Sisters of Charity.-History:...
before Shanahan sent him to England to train with London surgeon Aubrey York Mason.
Chang became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1966 and trained in cardiothoracic surgery
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax —generally treatment of conditions of the heart and lungs .-Cardiac / Thoracic:...
at the Royal Brompton Hospital
Royal Brompton Hospital
Royal Brompton Hospital is the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the United Kingdom .The hospital is part of Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust is a national and international specialist heart and lung centre based in Chelsea, London and Harefield, Middlesex...
. In London, he met and married his wife Ann (née Simmons). He spent two years in the United States at the Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
and became chief resident
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
. In 1972, he returned to St Vincent's Hospital, where he was a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon and was appointed Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is the body responsible for training and examining surgeons in Australia and New Zealand. The head office of the College is in Melbourne, Australia....
in 1973 and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, often listed as "FACS", is a post-nominal title used to indicate that the surgeon's education and training, professional qualifications, surgical competence, and ethical conduct have passed a rigorous evaluation, and have been found to be consistent with...
in 1975.
Surgical career
In St Vincent's Hospital, he worked with surgeons Dr. Harry Windsor (who had performed Australia's first heart transplant in 1968) and Dr. Mark Shanahan. The advent of anti-rejection drugImmunosuppression
Immunosuppression involves an act that reduces the activation or efficacy of the immune system. Some portions of the immune system itself have immuno-suppressive effects on other parts of the immune system, and immunosuppression may occur as an adverse reaction to treatment of other...
s in 1980 made heart transplants more feasible, and Chang lobbied politicians and businessmen to raise funds to establish a heart transplant program at St. Vincent's. On 8 April 1984, a team of doctors led by Chang operated on 14-year old Fiona Coote
Fiona Coote
Fiona Coote was the second, youngest and first female in Australia to undergo a heart transplant. The procedure was performed by notable Chinese-Australian cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Victor Chang and was successfully carried out on in April 1984, when Coote was 14 years of age...
who became Australia's youngest heart transplant patient.
Between 1984 and 1990 Dr. Chang's unit performed over 197 heart transplants and 14 heart-lung transplant
Heart-lung transplant
A heart–lung transplant is a procedure carried out to replace both heart and lungs in a single operation. Due to a shortage of suitable donors, it is a rare procedure; only about a hundred such transplants are performed each year in the USA....
s. The unit had a high rate of success with 90% of those receiving transplants from the unit surviving beyond the first year. In 1986, Victor Chang was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AC) "In recognition of service to international relations between Australia and China and to medical science".
Concerned about a shortage of organ donors, he arranged financing and assembled a team of scientists and engineers from around the world to develop an artificial heart. That team, working in Singapore, Guangzhou and Sydney, also developed mechanical and tissue heart valves called the St. Vincent's Heart Valves, which were widely implanted throughout Asia. Dr. Chang and his team also made significant progress on the design of an artificial heart. His research projects ended with his death.
Death
On 4 July 1991, Chang was shot twice in the head in a failed extortionExtortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
attempt. His body was found slumped in the gutter next to his car in Mosman. Two Malaysian men, Chew Seng (Ah Sung) Liew and Choon Tee (Phillip) Lim, ran their car into Chang's vehicle, forcing him to pull over. After Chang refused to give them money and got into an argument with them, Liew fired the fatal shots. He was sentenced to 26 years in prison with a non-parole period of 20 years. Lim received a minimum of 18 years and a maximum of 24 years. Liew pleaded guilty and Lim pleaded not guilty, claiming he did not know Liew had a gun. Another man, Stanley Ng, abandoned an extortion plan a day before the murder. He had unsuccessfully tried detaining Chang twice to force him to give A$3 million. Ng was granted immunity for his evidence. The prosecution alleged the plan had been to abduct Chang, tie him up with his family at his home in Clontarf
Clontarf, New South Wales
Clontarf is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Clontarf is located 13 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:...
, and threaten to hang them to coerce Chang into withdrawing money from the bank. In his ruling, Supreme Court Judge John Slattery stated, "It was an absurd, improbable plan, always doomed to failure".
On 26 October 2009, Lim was awarded parole. Following a public outcry and objection by the New South Wales Corrective Services Minister, John Robertson
John Robertson (New South Wales politician)
John Cameron Robertson MP , an Australian politician, is the Leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales and the Leader of the Opposition. Robertson is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Blacktown for Labor since 2011...
, his release was put on hold, pending another parole hearing. In the New South Wales Supreme Court, that decision was quashed due to the Parole Authority making a procedural error. Lim was freed from Parramatta Correctional Centre
Parramatta Correctional Centre
Parramatta Correctional Centre is a medium security short term Remand Centre, Transient Centre and Metropolitan Periodic Detention Centre. It houses unsentenced and sentenced B and C classification male inmates, including Drug Court Sanctions and male periodic detainees...
on 1 March 2010 into the custody of immigration officers. He was to be deported back to Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia, on 2 March, but the flight was cancelled for "technical reasons". He was flown out of Australia on 3 March.
Legacy
On 15 February 1994, the Victor Chang Cardiac Research InstituteVictor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
The Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute or VCCRI is a scientific institution based in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia. The institute opened in 1994, three years after the death of renowned heart surgeon Dr Victor Chang...
, a body intended to focus on researching "the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart muscle diseases", was launched by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Paul Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
with Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer
Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
as its patron. The "Dr Victor Chang Science Labs" in Christian Brothers' High School
Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham
Christian Brothers' High School, Lewisham , is a Roman Catholic, day school for boys, located in Lewisham, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
are named after him. In 1999, Prime Minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
announced Chang as Australian of the Century at the People's Choice Awards
People's Choice Awards (Australia)
-1999:Favourite TV Star-1999:Favourite TV Star-1999:Favourite TV Star:Winner:::Lisa McCune, Blue Heelers, Seven Network:Nominated:::Colin Friels, Water Rats, Nine Network::Rebecca Gibney, Halifax f.p., Nine Network...
after a decision between two Australian larrikins
Larrikinism
Larrikinism is the name given to the Australian folk tradition of irreverence, mockery of authority and disregard for rigid norms of propriety. Larrikinism can also be associated with self-deprecating humour.- Etymology :...
and two lifesavers. Swimmer Dawn Fraser
Dawn Fraser
Dawn Fraser AO, MBE is an Australian champion swimmer. She is one of only two swimmers to win the same Olympic event three times – in her case the 100 meters freestyle....
, cricketer Donald Bradman
Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
, and ophthalmologist Fred Hollows
Fred Hollows
Frederick "Fred" Cossom Hollows, AC was an ophthalmologist who became known for his work in restoring eyesight for countless thousands of people in Australia and many other countries...
were other contenders.
In St Vincent's Hospital
St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney
St Vincent's Public Hospital, Sydney is located in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst. Though part of the New South Wales state public health system it remains under the auspices of the Sisters of Charity.-History:...
, the Victor Chang Lowy Packer Building was established in 2008 with A$35 million from the state government and $45 million in corporate and private donations. Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, is the wife of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark...
officially opened the building and declared that Chang "was an original thinker and saw the need for research and the development of heart assist devices and, not least, he is known for his legendary caring for his patients and their families". In Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine's "A Golden Anniversary" article, which lists people who have shaped the last "50 Years In the South Pacific" (1959–2009), Chang was listed as the figure of 1979–1989.
Further reading
- Butler, Mark (1997). Victor Chang: Healer of Hearts. Reed Library - Cardigan Street. ISBN 1863915826.
- Chang, Vanessa (2001). Victor Chang: A Tribute to My Father. Pan Macmillan Australia. ISBN 0330363220.
- Stephenson, Ron (2005). Victor Chang: Murder of a Hero. New Holland. ISBN 1741103215.
External links
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
- Victor Chang publications on PubMedPubMedPubMed is a free database accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health maintains the database as part of the Entrez information retrieval system...
- Victor Chang—ABC