Peter Zilla

Prof.Zilla obtained his academic qualifications from the Universities of Vienna (Austria), Zurich (Switzerland) and Cape Town (South Africa) and his clinical qualifications from the Austrian Physican’s Board and the College of Medicine of South Africa.

After graduating as “Doctor of Medicine” at the University of Vienna, Austria in 1980 he obtained a DMed. degree from the University of Zurich, Switzerland in 1983, a PD degree (PhD equivalent) from the University of Vienna and a separate PhD degree from the University of Cape Town in 1990. Clinically, he received registration as a specialist general surgeon by the Austrian Physicians Board in 1988 followed by the registration as a specialist vascular surgeon. After passing the fellowship examinations of the South African College of Medicine he was registered as a specialist cardiothoracic surgeon in SA in 1992.

Dr.Zilla spent his initial three post-graduate years in basic science (Department of Microbiology, University of Vienna and Neurobiology Division, Dept. of Anatomy, University of Zurich). Upon return to the University Hospital Vienna he obtained a major grant allowing him to establish his own research laboratories. After successfully demonstrating the clinical feasibility of his method of ‘in vitro endothelialization’ he was appointed lead scientist of the tissue engineering program at the University of Zurich from 1989 and commenced a routine clinical in-vitro endothelialisation program in Austria of which he remained the scientific advisor for almost 2 decades. Subsequently he established the Cardiovascular Research Unit at the University of Cape Town in 1992, director of which he continues to be.

Prof.Zilla’s surgical career commenced with his residency at the University Hospital Vienna from 1983 to 1989. Subsequent surgical positions included a Senior Residency at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Zurich (1989-1990). After his appointment as Associate Professor in 1994 and Full Professor in 1999 he became Chief at the University of Cape Town’s Chris Barnard Department in 2001, in charge of cardiothoracic surgery at Groote Schuur and Red Cross Children’s Hospital.

His main research foci have been in the fields of tissue engineering and prosthetic cardiovascular implants. Pioneering tissue engineering since 1983, Dr.Zilla had developed a method of culturing a patient’s own endothelial cells on prosthetic surfaces. Today, after an international multi-centre study in the 1990s and with almost 500 patient-implants, the program is a show-case for clinical tissue engineering. His second focus, improving heart valve prostheses for the young patients of developing countries, has led to tissue-treatments that extend the longevity of heart valve prostheses manifold.

Dr.Zilla’s engagement in the field of rheumatic heart disease has additionally awarded him international recognition as a policy initiatorwhen he united all major cardiothoracic surgical societies worldwide under one umbrella (‘Cardiac Surgery Intersociety Alliance’ / CSIA), thereby creating a worldwide platform for the establishment of local cardiac surgical capacity in regions of the world that are endemic for RHD but have no access to open heart surgery. Addressing this challenge also from another side, he co-founded a University of Cape Town Start-Up Company in 2008 under the name of ‘Strait Access Technologies’ (SAT) developing easy to use and long-lasting trans-catheter replacement heart valves for low-income countries.

Prof.Zilla is the author of >200 peer reviewed full papers and patents having been cited >10,000 times with a combined impact factor of >800 and an H-index of 52 (i10 147). Apart from >40 filed or issued US/PCT patents he is the editor of 6 books. He has been awarded the Theodor Billroth Award (Austrian Surg Soc); Sigma Tau Award (Intern.Union of Angiology); Alexis Carrel Award (German Soc Vasc Surg); Goetz Award (SA Cardiac Soc); Eiselsberg Award (Austrian Physicians Assoc) and Alain Carpentier Award (Int.Soc.Heart Valve Dis).