O. Max Gardner Awards

Dr. W. Randolph Chitwood, Jr. - 2004 Recipient

In order to understand the scope of Dr. Chitwood's accomplishments it is necessary to review the state of cardiac surgery when he began his career. In the seventies cardiac surgery was a major undertaking for both the patient and he surgeon.  Repair of heart valves was particularly difficult as the procedure posed major technical and mechanical challenges.  For decades the standard treatment of a diseased mitral valve had been the surgical removal of the valve in an open chest procedure and the replacement of the valve with an artificial valve or a porcine valve.  One of Dr. Chitwood's first contributions was to determine the real anatomy and pathology of the mitral valve that controls the blood flow between the two left chambers of the heart and to bring mitral repair surgery to North Carolina.  Because of his unusual technical skills, he was able to demonstrate that many of these delicate valves could be repaired by gentle dissection and meticulous reconstructive suture techniques.  Chitwood's second major contribution came when he recognized that endoscopic technology might provide better visibility and access to the diseased valve, and to obtain that advantage with less trauma to the patient.  That is not the end of the story.  Dr. Chitwood then recognized that robotic technology might provide surgeons the visibility and the freedom of movement required for performing the intricacies of cardiac surgery.  The resulting ability to repair and preserve a human mitral valve with robotic assistance and a much less invasive procedure presents a major contribution to the human race for decades to come.

Chitwood's pioneering work in cardiac surgery has brought national and international recognition to himself, to East Carolina University, and to the state of North Carolina.  This may best be exemplified by his recent induction into the Royal College of Surgeons of England, a rare honor and a testament to his outstanding contributions to cardiac surgery.

Dr. Chitwood has distinguished himself as both a surgeon and a scientist.  North Carolinians and all of human kind have benefited from his gifted, innovative, and technically brilliant advances in the field of cardiac surgery.  The Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina is honored to recognize his many contributions and to name W. Randolph Chitwood, Jr., Professor of Surgery and Chief of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at East Carolina University, as a recipient of the 2004 Oliver Max Gardner Award.