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Professor Marthanda Varma Sankaran Valiathan, a distinguished cardiac surgeon and respected academic, passed away on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at 9:14 PM in Manipal. He was 90 years old.

Professor Valiathan had a remarkable career with significant contributions to cardiac surgery and medical technology. He was an alumnus of the Medical College of Trivandrum and received fellowships from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, England, and Canada.

He was instrumental in establishing the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute in Trivandrum, serving as Professor and Director of Cardiac Surgery for twenty years. His innovations, such as the disposable blood bag and the tilting disc heart valve, helped build India's medical devices industry.

At Manipal, Professor Valiathan became the first Vice-Chancellor of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) in 1993. Throughout his career, he received many awards, including the Padma Vibhushan (2005), the Padma Shri (2002), the Dr. B. C. Roy National Award, the Hunterian Professorship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the Chevalier of the Order of Palmes Académiques from the French Government, the Dr. Samuel P. Asper Award for International Medical Education from Johns Hopkins University, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian Medical Association.