Dr. James KirklinThe Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery's  James K. Kirklin, M.D., director of The James and John Kirklin Institute for Research in Surgical Outcomes, gave two talks at the 21st Annual Update on Pediatric and Congenital Cardiovascular Disease last month in Scottsdale, Arizona. During the Feb. 22 session, "Surgical Strategies for Complex Conditions," Kirklin spoke on aortic valve repair, and during a Feb. 24 plenary session, he delivered the 18th Annual C. Walton Lillehei Memorial Lecture in Cardiovascular Surgery. C. W. Lillehei, M.D., is considered the father of open heart surgery due to his pioneering efforts in the field, beginning at the University of Minnesota as long ago as 1954.