S. S. Badrinath | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sengamedu Srinivasa Badrinath (1940-02-24)24 February 1940[1] |
| Died | 21 November 2023(2023-11-21) (aged 83) Chennai,Tamil Nadu, India |
| Education | Madras Medical College |
| Spouse | Vasanthi Badrinath[2] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Ophthalmology,vitreo-retinal surgery |
Sengamedu Srinivasa Badrinath (24 February 1940 – 21 November 2023)[3] was an Indianophthalmologist who was the founder andchairman emeritus ofSankara Nethralaya, one of India's largest charitable eye hospitals.[3][4] He was an elected fellow of theNational Academy of Medical Sciences.[5] Badrinath received thePadma Bhushan, the third-highestcivilian award in India, in 1996. He was also a recipient of several other honours, including thePadma Shri and theDr. B. C. Roy Award.[3]
Sengamedu Srinivasa Badrinath was born inTriplicane, a suburb ofChennai, India. His father, S. V. Srinivasa Rao, an engineer, was employed in the Madras Government Service. His mother, Lakshmi Devi, was the daughter of an advocate fromNerur, Tamil Nadu. Both of his parents died while he was still in his teens, and he completed his medical studies with the insurance money obtained following the death of his father. Beginning his education late at age 7 due to a childhood illness, Badrinath studied at PS High School,Mylapore, and Sri Ramakrishna Mission High School,Chennai. He completed his collegiate studies atLoyola College between 1955 and 1957.[6][7]
Badrinath graduated from theMadras Medical College,Chennai, in 1963. He did his internship and a year of internal medicine residency at the Glasslands Hospital, New York. Following his studies of Basic Sciences in Ophthalmology at theNew York University Medical School, he did his residency in Ophthalmology at the Brooklyn Eye and Ear Infirmary, New York, and a fellowship withCharles Schepens at the Retina Service of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts.[3] He became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada in 1969 and diplomate of theAmerican Board of Ophthalmology in 1970.[3] He returned to India in 1970, and for a period of six years worked at theVoluntary Health Services in Chennai as a consultant. He set up a private practice in ophthalmology and vitreoretinal surgery at the H.M. Hospital (1970 to 1972) and Vijaya Hospital, Chennai (1973 to 1978). He had over 60 peer reviewed publications.[8][3]
In 1978, Badrinath, along with a group of philanthropists, founded the Medical & Vision Research Foundations inMadras in 1978.Sankara Nethralaya, a charitable not-for-profit eye hospital is a unit of the Medical Research Foundation.[9]
On average, 1200 patients are seen, and 100 surgeries are performed every day.[10] From its inception in 1978, Sankara Nethralaya has offered fellowship programmes inVitreo-Retinal Surgery,Cornea,Oculoplasty,Glaucoma,Uvea, and General Ophthalmology to holders of postgraduate degrees and diplomas in Ophthalmology. The institute also offers training programmes for graduates in Ophthalmology.[11]
Badrinath married Vasanthi Badrinath in 1967, whom he met inBrooklyn, New York. Vasanthi was apediatrician andhematologist. The couple later settled inChennai. They have two sons, Ananth Badrinath and Seshu Badrinath.[2]
S. S. Badrinath died on 21 November 2023, at the age of 83.[7][12]
Vasanthi died in August 2021.[2]
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