Marthanda Varma Sankaran Valiathan, more commonly known as M. S. Valiathan(Malayalam: എം.എസ്. വല്യത്താന്), is an Indian cardiac surgeon and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Valiathan received his initial medical education in India, and specialized training in cardiac surgery in UK and US. His medical interests have spanned the fields of pediatric cardiac surgery, tropical heart muscle disease and development of cardiovascular devices.[1] He is former Director of the Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences, Thiruvananthapuram and former Vice Chancellor of Manipal University, Karnataka. He was invited to deliver the Hunterian Lecture at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in London.
Valiathan has authored a book, Legacy of Charaka, which is a retelling of the samhita (Sanskrit: collection) composed by Charaka, the founder of Ayurveda.[1]
Valiathan is a Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering[2] and a recipient of Indian National Science Academy's Shree Dhanwantari Prize in 1991.[3] He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour, in 2005.[4]