Each year, the Andreas Grüntzig Ethica Award – the highest honour in the interventional cardiology community – is presented to individuals who have contributed in an extraordinary way to the PCR mission.
During each edition of EuroPCR, the Andreas Grüntzig Ethica Award, which recognises outstanding achievements and contributions to the cardiovascular field, is presented. On 15th May, at the Palais des Congrès, Porte Maillot in Paris, a special ceremony was held to bestow the award upon two inspiring cardiologists, Ottavio Alfieri and Frederick St Goar.
Ottavio Alfieri
Ottavio Alfieri began his career in 1971, inspired early on by the pioneering nature of cardiac surgery at the time, and then by the work of Professor Alain Carpentier, which motivated him to focus specifically on valve surgery. Throughout Alfieri’s career, he has been passionate about developing new and improved techniques that increase the effectiveness of treatment, from developing the edge-to-edge mitral valve repair technique, a procedure that continues to be used today, more than 30 years after its first use, to the clover technique, particularly beneficial to patients with tricuspid regurgitation.
Over the past two decades, Ottavio Alfieri has shared his passion for developing and using different techniques to improve patient outcomes, including promoting the use of transcatheter protocols among his cardiac surgeon colleagues to increase their own skill and confidence with these valuable tools. Day-to-day, he continues to share his experience and knowledge as a senior consultant at the San Raffaele University Hospital, as well as through his vital work at the Alfieri Heart Foundation. The Foundation endeavours to invent and test new treatments and devices for heart valve diseases, to advance cardiac research, and to train professionals with a progress-oriented mindset using the most advanced techniques and technologies available for the benefit of patients.
In line with his appreciation of the importance of collaboration and training, Ottavio Alfieri expressed, “Receiving this award jointly with Fred St Goar highlights that important achievements are frequently the result of joint efforts, and I would also like to share the honour with all the co-workers who have contributed to the successful story of edge-to-edge repair.”
Frederick St Goar
Frederick St Goar joined the interventional cardiology community with a passion for problem-solving, which has resulted in some remarkable achievements throughout his career, such as his involvement in developing intravascular ultrasound, and his development of the MitraClip. Inspired by his discovery of Ottavio Alfieri’s simple but highly effective edge-to-edge technique, Frederick St Goar experienced a light-bulb moment that led him to found Evalve, Inc., the company that developed the minimally invasive and now well-established MitraClip device, a key tool in the cardiologist’s armamentarium to reduce mitral regurgitation. In response to a recognised unmet need, a key contemporary project is Frederick St Goar’s work in the perinatal, maternal and infant health space, developing the US standard-of-care JADA System device to manage postpartum haemorrhage.
In addition to improving patient outcomes through his research and clinical medical practice, Frederick St Goar continues to inspire interventional cardiologists around the world, innovating in order to make healthcare more scalable and equitable. From his teaching at Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign, to his role as Vice Chairman of the Board at Fogarty Innovation, and to the multiple different healthcare projects that he supports in Africa, Frederick St Goar’s commitment to the ongoing global development of cardiovascular medicine and patient care is incontestable and deserves recognition with the Ethica Award.
Grateful to be presented with this award, he explained, “Sharing this honour with Professor Ottavio Alfieri – my hero and good friend – is a celebration of two things: the amazing innovation that has occurred in structural heart disease therapy over the last 20 years and the remarkable progress that can be achieved when surgeons and cardiologists collaborate.”
Source & Image Credit: EuroPCR 2024
