Dr Marthanda Varma Sankaran Valiathan is an illustrious Cardiac Surgon of India
with international recognitions as Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Canada, George Washington and John Hopkins Universities. Also honoured as Chavellier by the French Government. Under his 25 years' leadership Sree Chitra Institute was notified by Prime Minister Morarji Desai as "An institution of National Importance". He treated Ayurveda as the mother of all sciences. As a National Research Professor, he completed a series of legacy volumes on the "Great Three" of Ayurveda Charaka, Sushruta and Vagbhata.

HIS Contribution to Healthcare Landscape in India ;

He pioneered a joint culture of medicine and technology, started the medical devices industry in India and crystallised the convergence of modern biology and Ayurveda as a new discipline of science as "Ayurvedic Biology." Strongly believed that *When new techniques are applied to old science, new sprouts of knowledge would appear. "He pioneered studies on the causation of a tropical cardiomyopathy, endomyocardial fibrosis and established its cause to be geochemical rather than filarial as was believed earlier.

Change-Making Positions Held ;

* Fellow of Indian National Science Academy and National Academy of Sciences.
* Honorary Fellow of Indian College of Cardiology.
* First Vice-Chancellor of Manipal University.
* Numerous strategic government positions in UGC, ICMR and Atomic Energy boards etc.

Laurels Brought to Dr M. S. Valiathan ;

* Conferred Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1990.
* Conferred Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2005.
* Dr Samuel P. Asper International Award from John Hopkins University.
* R. D. Birla Award.
* O. P. Bhasin Award.
* Jawaharlal Nehru Award.
* Dhanwantari Prize.
* Aryabhatta Medal.

Impact Brought in the Lives of Common Indians ;

His consistent development of Valves, a series of disposable devices such as blood bags, oxygenator cardiotomy reservoir and a vascular graft transformed the lives and areas of medical technology of India, according him credit for implantation of more than 100,000 valves in patients up to 2016 and is continuing.