MODEL RELEASED. Magdi Yacoub (born 1935), Egyptian heart surgeon. Sir Magdi Habib Yacoub is Professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College, London. He was involved in the first UK heart transplant in 1980, the recipient of which went on to become one of the longest surviving heart patients. Yacoub moved to the UK in 1967 and pioneered transplant surgery, becoming one of the most highly regarded surgeons in the world. Since retiring from the NHS in 2001 he spends much time as a high profile consultant and performing transplant operations through his charity, The Chain of Hope.