Expertise

• Endovascular surgery and research
• Minimally invasive therapy
• Imaging innovation uptake

About Alan 

Alan B. Lumsden, M.D., is the Walter W. Fondren III Chair, Medical Director of the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center and chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital.

Dr. Lumsden grew up in Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland, a town of a little more than 10,000 people located between Glasgow and Edinburgh. He received his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery and the University of Edinburgh where he graduated at the top of his class. After completing a year-long internship, he moved to Emory University in Atlanta where he completed his surgical residency and vascular training and eventually became the Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery.  In 2002, he joined Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine as Professor and Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. He assumed his positions at Houston Methodist Hospital in 2008.

“I honestly thought I would never leave Emory, but when the chance to work with Dr. DeBakey came along, I thought it was a great opportunity for me,” Lumsden said. “The history of cardiovascular surgery really began here with him and Dr. Stanley Crawford, and I wanted to be a part of this great organization.”

Dr. Lumsden has developed an international reputation as a leader in the field of endovascular surgery. He has clinical and research expertise in: Stent graft treatment of thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms; Stenting and endarterectomy in carotid arterial disease; Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging.

Dr. Lumsden also conducts FDA-mandated training for surgeons nationwide in a carotid stenting simulator housed at the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center.

Dr. Lumsden’s research interests include: Developing novel minimally invasive methods of therapy; Integrating Imaging in the Operating Room.

He has received millions of dollars for his research from the National Institutes of Health, and he has contributed more than 200 papers to the medical literature, as well as numerous abstracts, books, and book chapters.

Despite all of these accomplishments, Dr. Lumsden is always looking towards the future, a future that includes innovation and collaboration with other industries. In 2006, Dr. Lumsden was on a plane working on a presentation. Sitting next to him was a pipeline engineer with ExxonMobil. The engineer asked Dr. Lumsden what the presentation was about; Dr. Lumsden explained it was about joining blood vessels together. The engineer said, “That is exactly how the pipeline business works.” This is how Pumps & Pipes came to fruition.

Founded in 2007, Pumps & Pipes consists of Houston Methodist, ExxonMobil and NASA. The one-day event held every December has been webcast to nearly 60 countries. The core values of the program are education, communication and collaboration, with the goal of finding solutions using the other guy’s toolkit.

 

“Pumps & Pipes gives us the chance to see what is new in pipeline exploration and space travel and explore how we can use these things to better treat our patients,” Lumsden said. “The Houston Independent School District is also a part of this and it is exciting to be able to help teach bright young minds what is going on in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”

 

Dr. Lumsden is looking forward to leading Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center into the future in the new North Tower. With expanded operating rooms and state-of-the-art equipment, Dr. Lumsden believes it will help cement the Heart Center’s reputation as one of the top programs in the country.