The Minister for Health and Children, Mr Micheál Martin, will this weekend become the first Irish person to receive the prestigious Gold Medal from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
Mr Martin will receive the award at the ESC's annual congress in Munich, which will be attended by over 20,000 delegates.
The award is in recognition of Minister Martin's introduction of the workplace smoking ban and his focus on cardiovascular health during Ireland's EU Presidency, when Ireland hosted two major conferences on the topic.
"The Gold Medal is the highest award we can grant at the ESC and it is reserved for people who have made a significant contribution to the fight against cardiovascular disease, former Nobel Prize winners, or other prominent figures in the field of cardiovascular medicine," said Professor Jean-Pierre Bassand, President of the ESC.