Stories of Change

It is our honor to announce the creation of the David A. Fullerton, MD, Endowed Chair in Cardiothoracic Surgery, made possible by the generosity and vision of the late Dr. Fullerton and his wife, Christine (Farrington) Fullerton. 

Dr. Fullerton completed his cardiothoracic surgery residency at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He remained at CU as faculty for six years, during which time he started the pediatric heart transplant program with David Campbell, MD, and revitalized the lung transplant program with Frederick Grover, MD. In 1996, he went to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where he served as the chief of cardiothoracic surgery. In 2003, he returned to CU, also as chief of cardiothoracic surgery, and remained until his retirement in June 2024. 

Dr. Fullerton was active in many professional organizations, serving as president of the Western Thoracic Surgical Association and president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. In addition, he served for three years on the Council of the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. He dedicated much of his professional career to the American Board of Thoracic Surgeons, serving as director for six years and executive director from 2016-2023. 

Distributions from this fund will provide support for the new faculty chair in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Department of Surgery within the CU School of Medicine, assisting with research expenditures, conference participation, curriculum development and more. The inaugural chairholder will be Joseph C. Cleveland, Jr. MD, FACC, professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. 

Thank you to Hayley Nelson in the Office of Advancement for helping to facilitate this gift and to the Department of Surgery for their partnership. We also offer our sincere gratitude to the Fullerton family for their generous philanthropy as they help propel innovation in cardiothoracic surgery and honor the legacy of Dr. Fullerton that lives on through this endowed chair.