Religa finished his studies at the
Medical University of Warsaw in 1963. From 1966 to 1980 he worked in the
Szpital Wolski in
Warsaw, where he qualified in
surgery. In 1973, he visited
New York City to train in
vascular surgery, and in 1975 he trained in
cardiac surgery in
Detroit. In 1973, he obtained a
Ph.D. degree; in 1981 he finished his
habilitation, achieving academic recognition similar to an
associate professor or
senior lecturer. From 1980 to 1984, Religa lectured at the Warsaw Institute of Cardiology. In 1984 he obtained a chair in cardiac surgery and directed the Cardiosurgical Clinic in
Zabrze, in 1990 he became full professor at the Silesian Medical University in
Katowice, being its
rector from 1997 to 1999. In 2001 he returned to Warsaw to become director of both the Clinic of Cardiac Surgery No. 2 and the Institute of Cardiology. A pioneer in human
heart transplantation in Poland, he led the team that performed the first successful heart transplantation in the country, and in June 1995 he was the first surgeon to graft an artificial valve created from materials taken from human corpses. In 2004, a team led by Religa obtained a prestigious
Brussels Eureka award at the World Exhibition of Innovation, Research and Technology for developing an implantable pump for a pneumatic heart assistance system. Religa held
honorary doctorates from the Medical University of
Lviv, the Silesian Medical University in
Katowice, and the
Medical University of Białystok. The first successful heart transplant in Poland was performed on 5 November 1985. The famous heart transplant (photographed by James Stanfield) was in 1987. The patient was Tadeusz Żytkiewicz, who died in 2017 – 30 years after the operation, outliving the surgeon who gave him a new heart. The surgery lasted for 23 hours. After the surgery, an American photographer, James Stanfield from
National Geographic, captured the photograph of Religa monitoring his patient's vitals on medical equipment with one of his colleagues, Dr. Romuald Cichoń, who assisted him during the surgery, asleep in the corner. According to one of Religa's closest associates, Marian Zembala, the photo doesn't show Żytkiewicz. They analyzed the photo and surgery plan and established that Żytkiewicz's surgery took place two hours later in different operating room. The patient in the photo died during transplantation. However, this has been contested by Religa himself as well as by Katarzyna Ludwiniak, Żytkiewicz's granddaughter, who recognizes her grandfather on the photo. == Career in politics ==