Rotary Program February 12, 2009

Dr. Koshal completed his M.B.B.S. (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) in 1971 at Ravishankar University in Raipur, India. He received five gold medals and was awarded the Pfizer Gold medal in Medicine. In 1975 he obtained his M.S. (General Surgery) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi and received a gold medal. He completed his cardiac surgery training at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. In 1979 he went as a Canadian Heart Foundation Research Fellow to the Harvard Medical Centre in Boston. He joined the staff at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in 1980. In Ottawa he was the Director of the Residents Training Program in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and also the Surgical Director of the Cardiac Transplant Program. He was a member of the team that performed the first total artificial heart implant (Jarvik) in Canada. Dr. Koshal performed the first implantation of Thoratec left ventricular assist device in Canada. In 1991, he moved to Edmonton to become the Director of the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Alberta and surgeon-in-chief, Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Alberta Hospital. In 1995 he became the Regional Director of the Cardiac Sciences Program in Edmonton. In January 2006 he was named the Director of Development & External Affairs for the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute. He has numerous publications and presentations at national and international forums. In 1994 was awarded the Wilbert J. Keon Award for outstanding contribution to Canada in the field of cardiovascular medicine. In 1999 he was elected as the President of the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons. He was awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003 and the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2006. During his time in Edmonton, the Cardiac Surgery Program at the University of Alberta Hospital has become one of the foremost in the country. It does the largest number of heart transplants in the country. It also has an outstanding Pediatric Cardiac Surgical Program and Resident Training Program for cardiac surgical trainees. The Cardiac Sciences Program at the University of Alberta Hospital, which Dr. Koshal has helped to initiate has become extremely successful on a regional basis. This encompasses all 5 hospitals that provide cardiac care in the city. Dr. Koshal envisioned and promoted the development of an outstanding Cardiac Institute in Edmonton. In 2001 the Government of Alberta recognized the Cardiac Sciences Program in Edmonton to be a Centre of Excellence in the Province. An initial sum of $125 million was allocated to develop the Alberta Heart Institute. The Government, buoyed by the generous contributions ($42 million) by the community in the province, added an extra $22 million to complete the project. Once completed (2009) it will be the foundation of one of the leading cardiac facilities in the world.