Dr. William Muller
Class of 1940
Hometown: Charlottsville, Va
- A nationally prominent cardiovascular surgeon, Muller graduated from Duke University School of Medicine with honors in 1943.
- Muller held the prestigious position of Chairman of the University of Virginia Surgery Department for 27 years, 1954-1981. He initiated programs in cardiovascular, plastic, and oncologic surgery at the University of Virginia (UVA) Health System, Charlottesville, where he started the open heart surgery program. He was a pioneer in prosthetic aortic valve surgery and pulmonary banding for pulmonary hypertension. He also earned renown as a pioneer of pediatric congenital heart disease procedures.
- Muller was President of the American Surgical Association, the Southern Surgical Association, the Society of University Surgeons, and the Society for Vascular Surgery. He was vice-president of the International Cardiovascular Society, vice-chairman of the American Board of Surgery, and was a founder of the Association for Academic Surgery. Muller was a member of the Executive Committee of National Research Council and served on the Academic Surgery Training Committee of the National Institutes of Health, and the Research Committee of the American Heart Association.
- Muller served as a captain in the US Army with a tour of duty in Berlin, Germany1946 to 1947.