William C. DeVries, M.D. (1979)

William C. DeVries was born in Brooklyn, NY on December 19, 1943. Dr DeVries obtained his Bachelor's (1966) and M.D. (1970) degrees from the University of Utah. Dr DeVries did his resident training in surgery at Duke University. Dr DeVries returned to the University of Utah in 1979 as head of the Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular surgery. Dr DeVries performed the first total artificial heart implant on Barney Clark on December 2, 1982. Dr DeVries left the University of Utah in 1983 to go to the Audubon Hospital affiliated with the University of Louisville where he performed an additional three destination artificial heart implants over the next two years.