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Born in Shanghai to Australian-born Chinese parents, he spent his childhood in Hong Kong, before coming to Australia in 1953 and completing his secondary schooling at Christian Brothers College, Lewisham . He studied medicine at the University of Sydney, graduating with a Bachelor of Medical Science with first class honours in 1960Events January-February January 1 Independence of Cameroon January 9 Aswan High Dam construction begins in Egypt January 11 Chad declares its independence. January 14 Ralph Chubb, the gay poet and printer, dies at Fair Oak Cottage in Hampshire. January 23, and a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1962Events January January 1 Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand January 3 Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro January 4 New York City introduces a train that operates without a crew on-board January 8 Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is e, then worked for two years as an intern at St. Vincent's Hospital before leaving for further training in EnglandEngland is the largest, the most populous, and the most densely populated of the four " Home Nations" which make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). Occupying the south-eastern portion of the island of Great Britain, England.

After becoming a Fellow of both the Royal College of SurgeonsThe Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients. It is situated at Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. It regulates surgery, including dentis and American College of Surgeons , he returned to St. Vincent's Hospital in 19721972 is a leap year starting on Saturday (click link for calendar). Events January events January 2 the Pierre Hotel Heist Six men rob the safety deposit boxes of the Pierre Hotel in New York City. Loot is at least $4 million January 5 President of the Un to join the cardiothoracic team there, which already included top surgeons Dr. Harry Windsor (who had performed Australia's first heart transplant in 1968Events Undated Booker Prize for Fiction is established by Booker plc. 1968 is known as the year of the Prague Spring and also the year of the Paris riots. The ASCII character code is standardized as ANSI Standard X3. Nauru adopt his national anthem of the) and Dr. Mark Shanahan . The advent of anti-rejection drugImmunosuppression is the medical suppression of the immune system. This is usually done to prevent the body to reject an organ transplant. When an organ is transplanted, the immune system of the recipient will most likely recognize it as foreign tissue ans in 19801980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. Events January-February January 1- April 1 National steel strike in United Kingdom January 1 Changes to the Swedish Act of Succession creates Victoria of Sweden, Crown Princess over her younger brother January 5 He made heart transplants more feasible, and Chang lobbied politicians and businessmen to raise funds to establish a heart transplant programme at St. Vincent's. The first transplant under the programme was performed on the 14-year old Fiona Coote on 24 February, 1984.

Between 1984 and 1990 Dr. Chang's unit performed over 197 heart transplants and 14 heart-lung transplants. The unit had a high rate of success with 90% of those receiving transplants from the unit surviving beyond the first year. Concerned about a shortage of organ donors, he developed an artifical heart valve called the St. Vincent's Heart Valve, and he also worked on designing an artificial heart. In 1986, Victor Chang was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia for his work.

Chang was murdered on 4 July, 1991, following an extortion attempt on his family. he was shot twice in the head with a .32 calibre pistol in Mosman after a heated argument with his attackers on his way to work. After a 10 day investigation, 15 police raids, and the questioning of over 30 people, Chiew Seng Liew was charged with the murder, and Jimmy Tan was charged as an accessory. The entire incident was allegedly related to issues surrounding transplant waiting lists.

On 15 February, 1994 the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, a body intended to focus on research into "the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart muscle diseases," was launched by Prime Minister Paul Keating, funded by the Federal Government, as well as public donations (including $3 million from patron Kerry Packer). Professor Robert M. Graham was named as the Executive Director of the Institute following an international search.