On Mar. 9, 1981, cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Bruce Reitz from Stanford Medicine performed the first successful human combined heart/lung transplant in the world (fourth attempted worldwide). The procedure, on a 45-year-old newspaper executive named Mary Gohlke, solidified Stanford’s reputation as a leader in transplant surgery.

Gohlke lived for five years with her new heart and lungs, traveling and writing a book about her experience. Stanford performed its 500th lung transplant in 2014.