Dr. M. S. Valiathan (1934–2024) was a pioneering Indian cardiac surgeon, the founding director of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute (Thiruvananthapuram), and a key force behind India’s indigenous TTK-Chitra mechanical heart valve. Trained at Trivandrum Medical College,Liverpool, and later at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown, he combined surgery with biomedical innovation and institution-building. He served as the first Vice- Chancellor of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, became a National Research Professor, and wrote acclaimed works on Ayurveda (The Legacy of Caraka, Suśruta, and Vāgbhaṭa). Honours include the Padma Vibhushan (2005) and leadership of the Indian National Science Academy

Prof. Rajesh S. Gokhale is Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, on deputation from IISER Pune. He formerly directed the CSIR–Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), where he established its South Campus and led translational genomics research on complex diseases. Trained as a chemical biologist at IISc Bangalore and Stanford University, his work has uncovered novel metabolites implicated in disease pathophysiology, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and vitiligo. Dr.Gokhale is a recipient of the Infosys Prize and the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, and is a Fellow of all three national science academies of India.

Venue: Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies Auditorium, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram
Date & Time: 18 November 2025, 10:30 am- 12.30 pm