Prof. Sir Magdi Yacoub

Prof. Sir Magdi Yacoub OM FRS FRCS is one of the most celebrated surgeons in history and a towering figure in global cardiothoracic surgery. Born in Egypt in 1935, he pioneered heart and heart-lung transplantation at Harefield Hospital in the UK and is credited with performing more than 1,000 heart transplants. He served as Emeritus Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Imperial College London and National Heart and Lung Institute. In 2008, he founded the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation to bring world-class cardiac care to Egypt and Africa, establishing the Aswan Heart Centre on the banks of the Nile — a state-of-the-art facility providing advanced cardiac surgery and research to populations with limited access to such care. Prof. Yacoub continues to work in cardiac tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, pursuing his lifelong vision of growing replacement heart valves from a patient's own stem cells.

Prof. Yacoub studied medicine at Cairo University, graduating with an MBBS degree, before pursuing postgraduate surgical training in Egypt and subsequently in the United Kingdom. He obtained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS) and pursued advanced cardiac surgical training at leading UK centres. He was appointed to the staff at Harefield Hospital and rose to become Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Imperial College London. He holds an honorary Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) — the UK's highest scientific honour — and was appointed to the Order of Merit (OM), one of the most prestigious British honours, limited to 24 living members. He holds numerous honorary degrees from universities across the world.

Prof. Yacoub's surgical legacy encompasses heart transplantation, heart-lung transplantation, and complex cardiac reconstruction. He is regarded as a master of aortic and mitral valve repair, having developed and refined surgical techniques used globally. The Ross procedure — replacing the aortic valve with the patient's own pulmonary valve — was popularised and refined through his work. His technical innovation in pulmonary artery reconstruction for congenital heart disease, particularly in children, saved countless lives. In recent years, his scientific focus has shifted to cardiac tissue engineering — developing biological heart valve substitutes and myocardial regeneration using stem cell-derived cardiac muscle, with his team at the Imperial College London Centre for Tissue Engineering.

The Aswan Heart Centre, established by Prof. Yacoub's Foundation in Aswan, Egypt, provides advanced cardiac surgery to Egyptian and African patients who would otherwise lack access to such care. The centre is not primarily a medical tourism facility but a humanitarian initiative. International patients with complex cardiac surgical needs may request consultation with the Foundation for guidance on appropriate referral pathways. Prof. Yacoub's primary legacy for international patients is the Harefield Hospital programme in the UK, where he trained generations of cardiac surgeons who now practise worldwide. For referrals to the Aswan Heart Centre or consultation enquiries, patients may contact the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation directly.

Prof. Sir Magdi Yacoub has received virtually every major honour in medicine and science. He was knighted in 1992 (KBE) and appointed to the Order of Merit (OM) in 2014 — one of the UK's rarest honours. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences. He received the Egyptian Order of the Nile (first class) and has been awarded honorary doctorates by over 30 universities globally. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) and was named among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People. He has authored over 1,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications.