CVI Members Awarded J.E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Achievement Award in Medicine

January 10, 2023

Two Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) faculty members, Sharon Hunt, MD, and Yvonne Maldonado, MD, were awarded the 2022 J.E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Achievement Award in Medicine for distinguished Stanford alumni.  This event follows D. Craig Miller, MD, also a CVI faculty member, receiving the award in 2021. The Sterling Award recognizes distinguished Stanford Medicine graduates. It was named after J. E. Wallace Sterling, former president of Stanford University, who moved the School of Medicine from San Francisco to the main Palo Alto campus in 1953, which enabled collaboration, resource-sharing, growth, and groundbreaking discoveries.

Sharon Hunt, MD, emeritus Professor of Medicine, started her career at Stanford as a medical student in 1967, as one of just seven women in her class. Her career at Stanford went on to span over 50 years – from witnessing the very first heart transplant surgery in the US by Norman Shuman in 1968, to the current era of combined heart-lung transplants. Rising through the ranks of faculty, she has published over 200 articles on the subject of heart transplantation and medical devices. She is a past president of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation and received their lifetime achievement award in 2012.  Video Video Tribute

Yvonne Maldonado, MD, is the Taube Professor of Global Health and Infectious Diseases and professor of pediatric infectious diseases, epidemiology, and population health at the Stanford School of Medicine. She now serves as Stanford University School of Medicine's Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Diversity. Her research has been focused on epidemiologic aspects of viral vaccine development. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was at the forefront of Stanford’s research and clinical efforts, and an advisor to policymakers on how to stop virus spread. View Video Tribute

 D. Craig Miller, MD, emeritus Thelma and Henry Doelger Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, retired in 2021 after 43 years of outstanding service at Stanford School of Medicine. During his tenure, he improved surgical approaches for patients with acute aortic dissections, pioneering the use of thoracic aortic endovascular stent-grafts, and refining valve-sparing aortic root replacement techniques. He is a recipient of several NIH-funded R01 research grants and has produced more than 650 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Miller was also elected the 88th president of the American Association for Thoracic Surgeons in 2007. View Video Tribute

CVI congratulates current and former awardees on their exceptional achievements in the field of medicine, and their passion for education and community.