Loma Linda University Health lost two of its pioneering physicians recently. Joan Coggin, MD, passed away at age 90 on November 29 (read her obituary here). Ellsworth Wareham, MD, died just 16 days later at age 104 (read his obituary here).
These two trailblazers co-founded the Loma Linda University Overseas Heart Surgery Team in 1963. Established at a time when few hospitals performed open-heart surgery, the Overseas Heart Surgery Team was founded at the request of the John F. Kennedy administration to help build goodwill overseas, first in Pakistan. From those first surgeries in Pakistan, these two innovators went on to visit dozens of countries, with the team performing more open-heart surgeries than any similar organization.
Through their passion for helping others, their service established a legacy of healing around the world — a legacy Loma Linda University Health strives to live up to each day. They were both willing to take on large tasks, trusting in God’s leading, and unafraid of failure. We will miss them.