Kotturathu Mammen Cherian (8 March 1942 – 25 January 2025) was an Indian heart surgeon. 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 ...

and first heart-lung transplant and is considered a pioneer of

pediatric Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...

cardiac surgery in the country. He was also a former honorary surgeon to the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) 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, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

and a

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), 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. In ...

awardee.

Background

Cherian was born to Mammen of the Kotturathu house in

Chengannur Chengannur () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipalityhttps://lsgkerala.gov.in/system/files/2017-10/localbodies.pdf in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, India. It is located south east of the district headquarters in Alappuzha and about ...

, Kerala, on 8 March 1942. He started his career in Christian Medical College, in

Vellore Vellore ( ), also spelled Velur, is a sprawling city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River and surrounded by the Javadi Hills in the northeastern ...

as lecturer in Surgery. In 1970, he migrated to Australia. He did his FRACS in Cardiothoracic Surgery in 1973. He also worked in New Zealand and the United States. After his studies, he worked as a Special Fellow in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

under Dr. John W. Kirklin and in the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

under Dr. Albert Starr. On his 26th birthday in 1968, he performed his first open heart surgery. As a young migrant in Australia, he had the opportunity to work at

St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney is a leading tertiary referral hospital and research facility located in Darlinghurst, Sydney. Though funded and integrated into the New South Wales state public health system, it is operated by St Vincent's Hea ...

. Cherian died in

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, Karnataka on 25 January 2025, at the age of 82. He is survived by his son Sanjay, daughter Sandhya and many grandchildren. His wife Celine predeceased him in 2020.

Career as surgeon

Cherian attended

Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Kasturba Medical College, Manipal and Kasturba Medical College, Mangaluru, together known as KMC, are two private medical colleges in the state of Karnataka, India, established in 1953 and 1955. The colleges are constituent units of Manipal Ac ...

. He performed India's first

in 1975 at Southern Railway Headquarters hospital, Perambur, Chennai. He was the founder of Frontier Lifeline Hospital, where he performed India's second heart transplant surgery in 1995. He also performed the country's first heart-lung transplant and the country's first pediatric cardiac surgery. Dr.K.M.Cherian is also credited with introducing the Physician Assistant profession in India in the year 1992. Today, the profession has grown to over 10,000 graduate PAs with over 25 universities conducting the program. The Indian Association of Physician Assistants celebrates Dr.K.M.Cherian as the father of the PA profession in India.

Awards and honours

* He was awarded

by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

in 1991, and was honorary surgeon to the

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, Mangaluru, together known as KMC, are two private medical colleges in the state of Karnataka, India, established in 1953 and 1955. The colleges are constituent units of Manipal A ...

for contributions made to the field of cardiothoracic surgery in India. * He received a Harvard Medical Excellence Award in 2005, through a panel organised by

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

. * His name is engraved in one of the stones at

Kos Island Kos or Cos (; ) is a Greek island, which is part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 37,089 (2021 census), making ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

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 ove ...

Business ventures

Cherian was the Founding Vice President and Director of Madras Medical Mission (MMM), Founding Chairman of Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). He was the Founder Chairman of Frontier Lifeline Hospital and Frontier Mediville, the first Medical SEZ and Medical Science Park in India. His Charitable Trust has built the St.Gregorios Cardio Vascular Centre, at

Parumala Parumala is a village and island on the Pampa River in Thiruvalla Taluk, Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by ar ...

, in

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

and his Educational Trust runs the International CBSE School named “The Study – L’ecole Internationale” in

Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to: Places in India * Puducherry (union territory), formerly known as Pondicherry ** Puducherry (city), capital of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry district The Puducherry District, also know ...

Dr. K. M. Cherian Institute of Medical Sciences

Cherian and several other investors set up a hospital in

, Kerala. It was inaugurated in March 2021. It sits on a 5-acre plot. The name of the hospital is Dr. K. M. Cherian institute of medical sciences.

Biography

A biography about Cherian titled ''Hand of God'' was released in 2015 and was written by Priya M. Menon.

References

External links

Profile
on Frontier Lifeline Hospital official website * October 2017 interview * October 2010 interview * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cherian, K. M. 1942 births 2025 deaths Indian cardiac surgeons Malayali people Medical doctors from Chennai Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons 20th-century Indian surgeons