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The Alain Cribier Institute was born from an exceptional medical history, but also from a shared determination to structure and extend a unique legacy in the field of heart valve disease.
For more than thirty years, Rouen University Hospital has established itself as an international center of excellence for the treatment of valvular heart disease, driven by the pioneering work of Professor Alain Cribier and by a strong academic medical ecosystem combining patient care, research, and education.
Over the years, this expertise has grown through the creation of research laboratories, the development of academic hospital networks (FHU REMOD-VHF, then FHU CARNAVAL), and leadership of major national research programs such as RHU STOP-AS, dedicated to aortic stenosis.
The creation of the Alain Cribier Institute reflects a shared reality: as heart valve disease becomes more common and care pathways increasingly complex, it became essential to build an integrated model capable of bringing together care, research, education, and public health initiatives within one framework.
Founded with the support of Rouen University Hospital, Inserm, and the University of Rouen, the Institute aims to become a leading center fully dedicated to heart valve disease in France and internationally.
Today, through the strength of this network, the Alain Cribier Institute moves forward in a spirit of continuity and renewal. It carries a future-focused vision centered on patients, medical innovation, knowledge transmission, and social commitment.
The Institute is not an endpoint. It is a defining new chapter: one that keeps a legacy alive, anchors it in the present, and projects it toward the challenges of tomorrow.
On April 16, the heart of Rouen beat to the rhythm of prevention. On the forecourt of the Cathedral, the Alain Cribier Institute, together with Rouen University Hospital and Alliance du Cœur, transformed a complex public health issue into a unique human and educational experience.
A look back at a record-breaking day that reflects the very purpose of our Institute: medical excellence for all.
Professor Alain Cribier (1945–2024) is universally recognized as one of the greatest innovators in modern cardiology. His name is inseparable from a major medical revolution: the development of percutaneous treatment for heart valve disease, and in particular transcatheter aortic valve implantation, known as TAVI.
The Alain Cribier Institute was born from an exceptional medical history, but also from a shared determination to structure and extend a unique legacy in the field of heart valve disease.
On Wednesday, April 1, 2026, Professor Hélène Eltchaninoff, Head of Cardiology at Rouen University Hospital, received the Danièle-Hermann Prize at the Palais de l’Institut de France. Awarded by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (Institut de France), the prize includes €30,000 and recognizes a career dedicated to medical innovation and research in cardiovascular disease, particularly heart valve disease.
Heart valve disease is increasing as the population ages. Today, nearly 30 million people worldwide are estimated to be living with heart valve disease, a number that could double by 2050. In Europe, more than 10% of people over age 75 are believed to have moderate to severe valve disease.
