Prof. Heinz G. Jakob is Professor and Director, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, West Germany Heart Center (Westdeutsches Herzzentrum) at Essen at University Hospital Essen.  He is the inventor of the E-Vita open and E-Vita open plus hybrid graft and one of the pioneers in frozen elephant trunk technique. Prof. Jakob published more than 200 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. He is adept at Pulmonary thrombendarterectomy, Ventricular reconstruction surgery, Transapical aortic valve implantation, Implantable assistant devices, Heart and lung transplant, Surgery of the aorta (including endovascular therapies) and Endoscopic valvular surgery. He received multiple scientific awards, including the first prize in Business Plan Competition, Spring 2007, Medical Business, State of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2007 and the first prize in Innovation Competition of the State of Baden-Württemberg 2009, The E-Vita open hybrid graft in 2009.