DeBakey Scholarship

The Michael E. DeBakey, Selma DeBakey, and Lois DeBakey Endowed Scholarship Fund

The Michael E. DeBakey, Selma DeBakey, and Lois DeBakey Endowed Scholarship Fund in Medical Humanities was established in 2009 by the DeBakey Medical Foundation of Houston, Texas in memory of Dr. Michael E. DeBakey and in honor of Professors Selma and Lois DeBakey.

Dr. Michael DeBakey received his B.S., M.S., and M.D. degrees from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha honorary medical society. He helped develop the mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) units and later helped establish the Veteran's Administration Medical Center System. He was also Olga Keith Weiss and Distinguished Service Professor in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery as well as director of the DeBakey Heart Center at Baylor College of Medicine and Methodist Hospital for research and public education. A pioneer in the development of an artificial heart and cardiac assistors, he performed the first successful human implantation of a partial artificial heart that he devised; a left ventricular assist device. Dr. DeBakey was a member of the most distinguished medical societies, having served as president for many of them. In 2000, the Library of congress awarded him its Living Legend Award and in 2001, NASA awarded him its Invent of the Year Award for the DeBakey Ventricular Assist Device. Dr. DeBakey was 99 years of age when he died on July 11, 2008.

Selma DeBakey received her B.A. degree at Newcomb College and pursued postgraduate studies at Tulane University. Lois DeBakey received her B.A. degree in mathematics from Newcomb College where she was elected to the honorary scholastic society, Phi Beta Kappa. Lois and Selma, professors of scientific communication at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, have credited their brother Michael with directing them into truly exciting and fulfilling, unique careers.

This endowed scholarship assists deserving junior or senior students who are majoring in medical humanities. We are deeply grateful to the DeBakey family for their generous support of the Medical Humanities Program at Baylor University.