Nazih Zuhdi

Born in Beirut Lebanon, Nazih Zuhdi (1925-2017) was a pioneer in the field of heart surgery. He came to Oklahoma City in 1957 after having completed his surgical internship in New York and studying in Minnesota. In 1959 he completed the first heart bypass surgery in the state and installed the first pacemaker in the state. He also performed the state's first single lung transplant in 1990 and first double lung transplant in 1994, the same year he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. When he retired in 1999 the Oklahoma Transplant Institute was renamed for him. Nazih Zuhdi Drive is also named in his honor.