Dr. Dennis Modry spent more than three decades with Alberta Health Services in Edmonton, including over 20 years as director of the organization’s heart and lung transplantation program, as well as director of the cardiovascular intensive care unit. Dr. Dennis Modry retired from medicine in 2016.
Throughout his career, Dr. Dennis Modry consistently advanced the field of transplantation and intensive care medicine. His achievements included running Western Canada’s first heart and lung transplantation program and performing numerous landmark surgical procedures, including the first double lung transplant and the first combined heart and lung transplant. He received numerous awards for his work, including the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for the Province of Alberta, which denoted “significant contributions to [his] fellow citizens.”
Dr. Modry studied medicine at the University of Alberta. He trained in general surgery, cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, and critical care at McGill University, achieving his licensing for both Canada and the United States. He continued his medical training at Stanford University, completing a three-year program that focused on transplantation immunology, heart and lung transplantation, and high-risk cardiovascular surgery. His personal interests range from chess to debate.