Dr. Michael Attas, BA '69
Contributions to the Professions: Healthcare & Medicine

Awarded to an individual for dedication to advancing his or her chosen field and making a significant impact in our world.
As a cardiologist for the past 30 years, Dr. Michael Attas, BA ’69, treated the hearts of Central Texans, including many of the Baylor professors and administrators who influenced him as a student. In addition to serving for more than 20 years as chief cardiologist at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, he found time to teach classes at Baylor, graduate from seminary and serve as an Episcopal priest.
To better serve patients as people, Attas believes that future healthcare practitioners need a foundation beyond excellent healthcare training. He found that Baylor University administrators and department chairs were receptive to this idea, and in 2004 the Medical Humanities program at Baylor was born. He served as founding director for the first few years and then taught various classes until retiring last year.
The program, the first of its kind in the nation, takes students through an interdisciplinary course of study that combines the humanities, social science and the arts. Students study ethics, literature, philosophy, history and more together with Baylor’s outstanding training in the sciences. Other universities have introduced similar concepts after observing Baylor’s success with the program, but relatively few such programs exist throughout the nation.
Attas came to Baylor on an athletic scholarship and was a linebacker on the football team from 1965-67. A self-described “ordinary jock” upon arriving at Baylor, he became inspired by the personal interaction with faculty, which stimulated and expanded his thinking.
He majored in psychology and added the pre-med track his sophomore year, eventually quitting football his senior year to focus on his studies. Attas was extended a helping hand by legendary physics professor Dr. Robert Packard, who offered him a paid position teaching physics labs and wrote a letter of recommendation that Attas credits with helping him get into medical school.
Today, Dr. Attas is retired from his roles as a cardiologist and professor, giving him more time to spend time with his wife, Gail, who he met at Baylor. Members of the Baylor Bear Foundation, the couple established the Dr. and Mrs. Michael Attas Annual Medical Humanities Scholarship and also support athletic scholarships.
