Dixie doctor receives Heart of Gold Award

Each year, the American Heart Association honors an outstanding Utah physician with the Heart of Gold Award for advancing the field of heart disease and stroke in our community. This year’s Heart of Gold award will go to Roger Millar, MD, at the AHA’s annual Heart Ball in the Salt Lake City downtown Marriot on May 16 in recognition of Dr. Millar’s advancements in cardiovascular surgery.

Dr. Millar is a cardiothoracic surgeon and founder of the open-heart surgery program at Dixie Regional Medical Center. Under his direction, the open-heart surgery program helped earn Dixie Regional a place on the "2007 Thomson Top 100 Heart Hospitals in the Nation," as featured in Modern Healthcare magazine. Dr. Millar is also viewed as the leading expert west of the Mississippi on the maze procedure — a procedure that helps regulate heart rhythm.

"Dr Millar is richly deserving of this award for his major contributions to cardiovascular health to the state of Utah through his expertise and leadership in cardiovascular surgery. His excellence in the operating room, his ability to do multiple and complex procedures with technical precision and unmatched facility are legendary. And this has been matched by his friendly, approachable and empathetic approach to patients at the bedside," said Jeffrey L. Anderson, MD and associate chief of cardiology at Intermountain Medical Center and president of the American Heart Association’s Board for the western states affiliate serving California, Nevada and Utah.

"Roger is an excellent clinical surgeon, teacher and administrator. He has pioneered the development of two outstanding cardiothoracic surgical programs and has left his mark on each. More importantly, he is a first-class human being. I consider it an honor to be his friend, colleague and partner, and I congratulate him on this well-deserved honor," says Kent Jones, MD, chairman of the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at Intermountain Medical Center.