Head of Cardiac Surgery at St. Petersburg State University on His Professional Journey

Maksim Sergeyevich Kamenskikh, Head of the Cardiac Surgery Department with an endovascular diagnostics and treatment unit, shared his professional journey as part of the «How I Became a Doctor» series.

Growing up in a medical family, his career path was largely shaped by early exposure to the profession. After completing secondary education, he enrolled at the Voyno-Yasenetsky Medical University in Krasnoyarsk. He recalls his student years as intellectually engaging and shaped by strong academic traditions.

Following surgical internship training, he was initially offered a position as a radiologist in the Republic of Khakassia. However, an opportunity soon arose to enter residency training in cardiovascular surgery as part of a targeted program for a newly established cardiac surgery center. His residency was completed in Omsk at the regional hospital’s cardiac surgery department under the mentorship of Valery Nikolaevich Tsekhanovich, along with several distinguished mentors who played a key role in his professional development.

Residency training and subsequent years of clinical work in Krasnoyarsk were marked by intensive hands-on experience. Dr. Kamenskikh performed his first independent cardiac surgery at the age of 29 — a notably early milestone compared to the average age of first independent practice both in Russia and internationally.

In 2014, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Cardiac Surgery, Professor Dmitry Viktorovich Shmatov, invited Dr. Kamenskikh to participate in the establishment of a new cardiac surgery department in Saint Petersburg. The team faced the complex task of building a service from the ground up — from regulatory documentation and clinical workflows to earning patient trust in a highly competitive medical environment.

Today, the Center of Cardiac Surgery and Interventional Cardiology at St. Petersburg State University is distinguished by its multidisciplinary approach. Cardiac surgeons, interventional specialists, electrophysiologists, vascular surgeons, and cardiologists collaborate closely, with each patient case discussed by a dedicated multidisciplinary team to ensure optimal, individualized treatment decisions.

Since 2022, Dr. Kamenskikh has served as Head of the Cardiac Surgery Department. He notes that the greatest motivation comes from successful outcomes, patient satisfaction, and complex cases where surgery offers hope after all other options have been exhausted. Continuous improvement in organization, service quality, and patient-centered care remains a core priority.

The department’s team is diverse, international, highly experienced, and unified by a shared mission: delivering the highest standard of cardiac surgery combined with compassion and respect for patients.

Scientific research is a key component of the department’s work. Physicians actively publish research, pursue doctoral studies, collaborate with university departments, and participate in large-scale clinical studies. Ongoing analysis of clinical outcomes helps guide strategic development.

The department also serves as a training base for residents. The goal is to prepare specialists capable of working confidently from their first day in any healthcare system worldwide, supported by strong practical skills and comprehensive theoretical knowledge. Mentorship is structured and progressive, ensuring effective professional growth.

Addressing young physicians, Dr. Kamenskikh emphasizes that the medical profession requires not only technical excellence, but also moral strength. Responsibility, empathy, lifelong learning, scientific inquiry, stress, and the weight of clinical decisions are all integral parts of a demanding profession dedicated to preserving human life and health.