David Sabiston

David C. Sabiston, Jr., M.D.
Dr. David Sabiston
Born	October 1924 Jacksonville, North Carolina
Died	January 2009 (age 84) Durham, North Carolina
Residence	Durham, NC
Citizenship	U.S.
Nationality	U.S.
Fields	Physician; Surgeon; Educator; Author
Institutions	Johns Hopkins University; Duke University
Alma mater	University of North Carolina (B.S.); Johns Hopkins University (M.D.)
Known for	Research in cardiothoracic surgery
Influences	Alfred Blalock

David Coston Sabiston, Jr., M.D.,, F.A.C.S. (October 4, 1924 – January 26, 2009) was an early innovator in cardiac surgery. In 1962, he performed a seminal procedure that paved the way for modern coronary-bypass surgery, grafting a vein from a patient's leg to bypass a blocked coronary artery during open-heart surgery.

The patient died from unrelated complications, but Sabiston's technique and other surgeons' improvements on it led to the development of surgical coronary revascularization as it exists today.

Sabiston was born to David C. Sabiston, Sr. and Frances Marie Sabiston (née Jackson) in Jacksonville, NC. He graduated with a B.S. degree in 1944 as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sabiston then attended Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, completing his M.D. degree as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society in 1947. After medical school, Sabiston spent two years as a Captain (O3) in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, posted at Walter Reed Medical Center, doing cardiovascular research.

After his military service, Sabiston returned to Johns Hopkins University to complete his residency and fellowship training, under the direction of Alfred Blalock. In 1952, he was given an instructorship at Hopkins during his year as a Chief Resident, and then an assistant professorship in Surgery in 1953 with a joint appointment as an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

In 1961, Sabiston was granted a Fulbright scholarship to study at the Hospital for Sick Children and Nuffield Department of Surgery at the University of Oxford.