In a new medical and scientific achievement added to the distinguished record of Arab and international expertise, Professor Abdallah Raweh, the internationally renowned cardiac surgeon, has been awarded the Golden Lion for Medicine as part of the International Grand Prize of Venice, one of Europe’s most prominent awards honouring individuals whose exceptional contributions have advanced medicine, science, culture and innovation.

Professor Raweh was honoured during an official ceremony held at the headquarters of the Veneto Regional Government in Venice, attended by leading academic, medical, diplomatic and cultural figures from around the world. He received the award in recognition of a professional career spanning several decades in cardiac surgery, his scientific and humanitarian contributions to the advancement of healthcare, his expertise in performing complex cardiac procedures, his role in training generations of cardiac surgeons, and his participation in medical and humanitarian initiatives across several countries.

Professor Raweh is regarded as one of the world’s leading figures in cardiac surgery. He holds a number of prominent international academic and medical positions, including Honorary President of the University of Salerno in Italy, Vice President of the University of Lugano in Switzerland, Professor of Cardiac Surgery in the United Kingdom, and Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at the Catholic University of Rome. He also leads several international medical initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of healthcare and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and expertise among medical institutions worldwide.

He has performed thousands of cardiac surgeries for patients in need around the world in the name of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may his soul rest in peace.

The award represents the culmination of a distinguished career marked by medical, research and humanitarian achievements. Throughout his journey, Professor Raweh has remained committed to the belief that medicine is a humanitarian mission that transcends geography and language, and that the true success of a physician is measured by the number of lives given a renewed opportunity to continue.

The award organisers stated that Professor Raweh was selected following a rigorous assessment of his professional record and his scientific and humanitarian contributions. They described him as an exemplary physician who has combined academic excellence, surgical innovation and humanitarian service, while reinforcing the role of medicine as a mission dedicated to serving humanity.

Commenting after receiving the award, Professor Raweh said:

“I am deeply honoured to receive the Golden Lion for Medicine. I regard this recognition as a tribute to every physician who has devoted their life to saving patients, and to every medical team working quietly and faithfully in operating theatres and hospitals around the world. Medicine is not merely a profession; it is a humanitarian mission that requires knowledge, compassion and humility before the value of human life.”

He added:

“This award places an even greater responsibility upon me to continue serving humanity wherever it may be, to further advance cardiac surgery, strengthen scientific cooperation among international medical and academic institutions, and transfer knowledge and expertise to new generations of physicians. True investment begins with people and with knowledge.”

Professor Raweh noted that the rapid transformation taking place across the healthcare sector places an even greater responsibility on medical institutions and professionals to keep pace with innovation and harness technology and scientific research to deliver care that is more precise, safer and of higher quality. He stressed that the future of medicine will be built on the integration of human expertise, artificial intelligence and early diagnosis.

He concluded:

“I dedicate this honour to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and to every patient who has placed their trust in us, to my fellow physicians and researchers, and to every scientific institution that believes knowledge is the shortest path to saving human life. My mission will remain as it has always been: to make medicine a bridge of hope and science a shared language that unites humanity.”

Professor Raweh’s receipt of the award is widely regarded as international recognition of an outstanding Arab career in one of medicine’s most demanding and precise specialties. It also reflects the growing presence of Arab expertise on global scientific and medical platforms, reaffirming that excellence founded on knowledge, research and innovation remains the most important path to the world’s highest levels of recognition.