Biographies

Dr. Laman Gray will be the surgical director of the institute. Dr. Gray received his M.D. from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. He completed his training with an internship and residencies in general and thoracic surgery at the University of Michigan. Dr. Gray joined the faculty and staff of the University of Louisville and Jewish Hospital in 1974 and has been the director of the Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at U of L since 1976. Under his leadership, the division’s faculty has conducted ground-breaking research in minimally invasive and beating-heart cardiac surgeries, cardiomyoplasty, pre-transplant organ preservation and mechanical circulatory support devices. Dr. Gray performed the first heart transplant in Kentucky (1984) and the first bridge-to-heart transplant after the use of a Thoratec® bi-ventricular assist device in the United States (1985). He was also an original investigator for the Novacor® ventricular assist device. In 1992, he performed the first clinical use of ABIOMED’s SupraCor intra-aortic balloon pump and was one of four primary clinical investigators who brought ABIOMED’s BVS 5000 temporary cardiac support system to clinical approval by the FDA. Dr. Gray is co-investigator for the University of Louisville/Jewish Hospital AbioCor research team. On July 2, 2001, Gray, Dr. Rob Dowling, and their surgical team implanted the first AbioCor Implantable Replacement Heart into Robert Tools, who lived 151 additional days on the device.

Dr. Rob Dowling, professor of surgery at U of L, will assist in the planning for the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute. Dr. Dowling is the surgical director of the Heart Transplant Program and director of the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Jewish Hospital. He received his M.D. and training in cardiothoracic surgery and transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Dowling is also director of the Heart Transplant Program at Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville. He has written 85 articles, book chapters and abstracts and serves on a National Institutes of Health integrated review group.