Leaving his small family behind, Doctor Chris Barnard traveled to America where he spent, according the man himself, the most fascinating time in his life. He was trained in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis in Minnesota and received his Master of Science in Surgery in 1958, for a thesis entitled, "The aortic valve - problems in the fabrication and testing of a prosthetic valve". In the same year he was awarded Doctor of Philosophy for his dissertation entitled "The aetiology of congenital intestinal atresia". He returned to South Africa armed with a United States public health grant for further research into the field of cardiac surgery. His return to South Africa was triumphant and the young doctor received promotions and accolades. He continued to work at Groote Schuur Hospital, this time as a specialist in cardiothoracic surgery, and was a full-time lecture and Director of Surgical Research at the University of Cape Town. Three years after his return to South Africa, he was appointed Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the teaching hospitals at the University of Cape Town. In 1962, he was promoted to Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Cape Town.

His years were spent jet-setting around the world, meeting famous people - from princes and kings to American presidents, and even the Pope. He became known as the "filmstar surgeon". His natural good looks helped this image along, as swarms of celebrities fought to be photographed alongside him. People either loved him or hated him. Those who hated him might have been suffering from a bit of jealousy, but the fact remains that although the good doctor could be most charming at times, at other times he acted like a spoiled prima donna who couldn't get his own way. What is not widely known is that he treated hundreds of patients throughout the world free of charge. He was promoted to Professor of Surgical Science in the Department of Surgery at the University of Cape Town in 1972. In 1983, he retired as Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. He spent two years as the Scientist-In-Residence at the Oklahoma Transplantation Insitue at the Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City in the USA. Over the years he has received many awards, one of which is the title Professor Emeritus (1984). On September 2, 2001, Christiaan collapsed by his hotel pool in Cyprus, and died of an unsuspected heart attack. He was 78.