K.M. Cherian (born 8 March 1942), in full Kotturathu Mammen Cherian, is an Indian heart
surgeon
In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...
. He performed India's first
coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage") is a surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve chest pai ...
and first heart transplant. and is considered a pioneer of pediatriccardiac surgery in the country. He is also a former honorary surgeon to the
President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...
and a
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
awardee.
Career as surgeon
He attended
Kasturba Medical College, Manipal
Kasturba Medical College, Manipal and Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, together known as KMC, are two private medical colleges in coastal Karnataka, India, established in 1953. He performed India's first
coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage") is a surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve chest pai ...
in 1975 at Southern Railway Headquarters hospital, Perambur, Chennai. He is the founder of Frontier Lifeline Hospital, where he performed India's second
heart transplant surgery
A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease when other medical or surgical treatments have failed. , the most common procedu ...
in 1995. He also performed the country's first heart-lung transplant and the country's first pediatric cardiac surgery.
Awards and honours :-
He was awarded
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
by the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
in 1991, and was honorary surgeon to the
President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...
from 1990 to 1993.
In June 2000, Cherian received a lifetime achievement award from
Kasturba Medical College
Kasturba Medical College, Manipal and Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, together known as KMC, are two private medical colleges in coastal Karnataka, India, established in 1953.Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...
.
His name is engraved in one of the stones at Kos Island,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
along with three other Indian surgeons, on the occasion of the 18th World Congress held by the World Society of Cardio Thoracic Surgeons held between 30 April3 May 2008.
In 2010, Cherian became the first Indian to be designated president of the World Society of Cardio Thoracic Surgeons.
In May 2016, Cherian was selected to be a member of the "Founder Circle" of the
American Association for Thoracic Surgery
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) is an international association of cardiothoracic surgeons. It was founded in 1917 by the earliest pioneers in the field of thoracic surgery. Headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts, it has over ...
.
Business Ventures
He and several other investors set up a hospital in Chengannur, Kerala. It was inaugurated in March 2021. It sits on a 5-acre plot. The name of the hospital is Dr KM Cherian institute of medical sciences.
Biography
A biography about Cherian titled ''Hand of God'' was released in 2015.