National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration

On Friday, March 8^th, Minister Marcin Kierwiński appointed Professor Piotr Suwalski MD PhD to serve as the Director of the National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (PIM MSWiA). Professor Suwalski has been professionally affiliated with the Institution since 2011, previously serving as the Head of the Department of Cardiac Surgery and Transplantation of the PIM MSWiA.

Professor Piotr Suwalski MD PhD graduated with honors from the First Medical Faculty of the Medical University of Warsaw in 2000. In 2005, he received a PhD in medical sciences (WUM, summa cum laude), and in 2012, he was awarded a postdoctoral degree from the Medical University of Silesia. In 2018, he attained the title of Professor in Medical and Health Sciences. From 2019 to 2021, he served as the President of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS). He is actively involved in various structures of the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and holds a position on the Board of Directors of the European Society of Cardiovascular Surgery (ESCVS).

As the only Pole and one of two Europeans, he is a member of the 21st Century Cardiac Surgery Society, which comprises 57 members worldwide. He has authored approximately 300 publications, including numerous European and American guidelines for the treatment of various heart conditions. His contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the TERAZ POLSKA award for cardiac surgery using minimally invasive techniques, which he received alongside his clinic's team. He has also been honored with the Gold Cross of Merit and the Gold Medal of the Polish Academy of Success.

Key Achievements of Professor Piotr Suwalski MD PhD:

• Pioneering minimally invasive, endoscopic, and robotic cardiac surgery techniques both in Poland and worldwide.
• Poland's first endoscopic mitral valve repair operation in 2004.
• A series of groundbreaking operations in Poland, Europe, and globally, particularly in the field of endoscopic arrhythmia surgery and closure of the left atrial appendage, aimed at stroke prevention.
• Numerous pioneering robotic surgeries in Poland - the creator of Poland's first robotic cardiac surgery center, currently the largest such center in Europe.
• The co-founder of the first lung transplant center in Mazovia and central Poland (the first lung transplant in this region, which was performed in 2022).
• The co-founder and head of the Center for Extracorporeal Therapies of the PIM MSWiA – the largest number of ECMO (artificial lung) therapies in Poland and one of the largest in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the highest number of mobile ECMO transports in Europe amid the COVID pandemic crisis.

 

Source and photos: Departament Komunikacji Społecznej MSWiA (Public Communication Department of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration)