John Elefteriades, MD, the William W.L. Glenn Professor of Surgery (Cardiac Surgery) and director of the Aortic Institute, has been inducted into the highly select Athens Academy, which draws its inspiration from Plato’s Academy and represents the highest academic honor bestowed by Greece for accomplishment in any scholarly discipline.
Elefteriades is recognized for research highlighting that coronary artery bypass (CABG) can be safely applied to patients with heart failure. This knowledge has helped lead to CABG's widespread and safe use for these patients, where until the mid-1980s it was contraindicated due to a high risk of death. Now the procedure both saves many lives and improves quality of life.
He also has shown that thoracic aortic aneurysm has a family and hereditary basis, and developed a complication-specific technique for aortic dissection (separation of the layers of the aorta) that is now used worldwide. Elefteriades also discovered that high-intensity sports activity in young athletes can cause aortic dissection.
Elefteriades, who is of Greek American heritage, is a 1972 graduate of Yale College, and received his MD degree from Yale School of Medicine in 1976.