Hiram Polk

Hiram C. Polk, Jr. is native of Jackson, Mississippi and alumnus of Millsaps College and the Harvard Medical School. He served as the Ben A. Reid Professor and Chairman of Surgery at the University of Louisville from 1971–2005. Polk trained in Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis and was a fellow at the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine in London before receiving an academic appointment at the University of Miami and later becoming a full professor and director of pediatric surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital. In 1971, at the relatively young age of 35, he was recruited to the University of Louisville as Chairman of Surgery and oversaw the development of the department into a well-respected center for research and surgical education. Upon his stepping down as chairman, the University of Louisville department of surgery was re-dedicated as the Hiram C. Polk Department of Surgery and an endowed chair was established in his name. Noted advances that occurred by the division under his chairmanship include the development and first implantation of the Abiocore artificial heart and the organization of one of the world's first hand transplant programs. While Chairman at Louisville, Polk trained more than 230 surgical residents, all of whom hold board certification in general surgery. Some of the surgical residents have become academic surgery chairmen at medical schools in the United States.