Balu Sankaran | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1926-09-04)4 September 1926 |
| Died | 20 June 2012(2012-06-20) (aged 85) |
| Occupation | Professor Emeritus ofSt Stephen's Hospital, Delhi |
| Spouse | Sukanya |
Balu Sankaran was a professor, scientist and recipient of thePadma Shri andPadma Vibushan awards. He helped establish an artificial limbs manufacturing corporation and a rehabilitation institute.
Sankaran was born inTamil Nadu on 4 September 1926. He graduated with a medical degree fromStanley Medical College inChennai in 1948. He travelled to United States andEngland and received training fromColumbia Presbyterian Medical Center during 1951–1955 andManchester Royal Infirmary in 1955.[1][2][3]
After he returned to India from Manchester, UK, Sankaran taught for a few months in the Department of Anatomy at KMC Manipal before joining AIIMS Delhi.Sankaran began his career as an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery inAll India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in 1956. After seven years as an assistant professor, he was promoted to associate professor in 1963 and continued withAIIMS till 1967. While working in AIIMS, he conducted basic medical research as aRockefeller Foundation fellow atUniversity of Chicago in United States. After his stint at AIIMS, he accepted a position as professor inMaulana Azad Medical College till 1970. He served as a director of Central Institute of Orthopedics during 1970 till 1978. He was offered to serve as the director ofWorld Health Organization inGeneva in 1981 and remained with WHO till 1987. He also served as the chairman of the Rehabilitation Council of India between 1992 and 1994.
While working as a director of Central Institute of Orthopedics, He helped set up theArtificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India atKanpur in 1972 and helped establishNational Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research atOlatpur nearBhubaneshwar in 1975 and remained chairman of the corporation till 1981. He worked as a professor emeritus atSt Stephen's Hospital, Delhi.[4]
He died on 20 June 2012 after a brief illness.[5]
He received thePadma Shri award in 1972 for the trauma care and rehabilitation provided to soldiers injured in1971 Bangladesh war, while stationed atSafdarjung Hospital. He also received thePadma Vibushan award for medicine in year 2007.[1]
