René Favaloro

Dr. René Gerónimo Favaloro (July 12, 1923 – July 29, 2000) was an Argentine cardiac surgeon best known for his pioneering work on coronary artery bypass surgery.

Early life

Favaloro was born and raised in La Plata. At an early age he developed a love for football, favoring Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, a popular club in the city.

He was admitted into the Colegio Nacional de La Plata in 1936. After graduating from high school, he was admitted to the School of Medicine at the National University of La Plata. During his third year, he began his medical residency at the Hospital Policlínico San Martín, a medical center that received the most complicated cases from practically all of Buenos Aires Province and brought him into contact with patients for the first time. He attended procedures carried out by professors José María Mainetti and Federico E.B. Christmann, from whom he learned the simplicity and standardization that he would later apply to cardiovascular surgery, one of his many great contributions to cardiovascular operating techniques. Favaloro graduated with a Medical Degree in 1949.