To honor the mentorship, leadership and contributions of Prof. Dr. Roland Hetzer in the field of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, the Roland Hetzer International Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Society (RHICS) was founded by cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons who have trained and worked under Prof. Hetzer, including former students, present staff and colleagues from all over the world. The exclusive objectives of the RHICS are:

1. to provide a forum for expert discussion on relevant cardiothoracic issues, to set up guidelines based on conclusions derived from this expert opinion forum
2. to promote cardiothoracic surgical education skills from beyond standardized and statistical (experience-based) medicine to a patient-based medicine wherein treatment approaches are individualized and personalized, and specific high-quality treatment is tailored to the patients’ unique pathology so as to give them an optimal quality of life, after surgery
3. to promote continuing medical education through the holding of regular symposia and meetings and the continuance of clinical and experimental research efforts and the publication of the results in scientific journals, and
4. to foster international collaboration and cooperation in clinical practice and scientific research in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery and associated fields.

The RHICS thus hopes to continue the legacy of Prof. Hetzer.

After its conception (by Drs. Delmo Javier, Ennker and Loebe) on January 29, 2010 and tremendous concerted efforts by Drs. Gerhard Ziemer, Harald Hausmann, Michele Musci, Thomas Krabatsch, Charles Yankah, Ralf Sodian, Luc Tambeur, Hermann Kuppe and Boris Nasseri, the RHICS was legally founded on May 20, 2011 at 17:30, in the presence of its lawyer, Dr. Maren Bedau, and the Honorary President himself, Prof. Roland Hetzer.

The Constitution was signed by Drs. Ziemer, Ennker, Hausmann, Delmo Walter, Musci, Nasseri and Kuppe with distant attendance of M.Loebe (via teleconference from Houston, Texas, USA), which took place at the Deutsches Herzzentrum Library.

The RHICS Society was formally inaugurated on June 13, 2011 at the Hotel Intercontinental Berlin. It is now recognized by the German Tax Authorities as a non-profit, tax-exempted scientific organization.