Balu Sankaran was a professor, scientist and recipient of the

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

and

Padma Vibushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

awards. He helped establish an artificial limbs manufacturing corporation and a rehabilitation institute.

Biography

Sankaran was born in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

on 4 September 1926. He graduated with a medical degree from

Stanley Medical College Stanley Medical College (SMC) is a government medical college with hospitals located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Though the original hospital is more than 200 years old, the medical college was formally established on 2 July 1938. The medic ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

in 1948. He travelled to United States and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and received training from

Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is a nonprofit academic medical center in New York City affiliated with two Ivy League medical schools, Cornell University and Columbia University. The hospital comprises seven distinct campuses located in the New ...

during 1951–1955 and

Manchester Royal Infirmary Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) is a large NHS teaching hospital in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. Founded by Charles White in 1752 as part of the voluntary hospital movement of the 18th century, it is now a major regional and nati ...

in 1955.

Career

After he returned to India from Manchester UK. Dr. Balu Sankaran taught 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 in

All India Institute of Medical Sciences The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a group of autonomous government public medical universities of higher education under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare , Government of India. These institutes ha ...

(AIIMS) in 1956. After 7 years as an Assistant Professor, he was promoted to Associate Professor in 1963 and continued with

AIIMS The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a group of autonomous government public medical universities of higher education under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare , Government of India. These institutes h ...

till 1967. While working in AIIMS, he conducted basic medical research as a Rockefeller Foundation fellow at

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

in United States. After his stint at AIIMS, he accepted a position as Professor in

Maulana Azad Medical College Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) is a medical college in New Delhi, India affiliated to University of Delhi and run by the Delhi government. It is named after Indian freedom fighter and first education minister of independent India Maulana ...

till 1970. He served as a Director of Central Institute of Orthopedics during 1970 till 1978. He was offered to serve as the Director of

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

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 the

Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India Artificiality (the state of being artificial or manmade) is the state of being the product of intentional human manufacture, rather than occurring naturally through processes not involving or requiring human activity. Connotations Artificiality ...

at Kanpur in 1972 and helped establish

National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research is an autonomous institute functioning under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of India. It is located in Olatpur, 30 km from Cuttack. History Th ...

at Olatpur near Bhubaneshwar in 1975 and remained Chairman of the Corporation till 1981. He worked as a Professor Emeritus at St Stephen's Hospital, Delhi.

Death

He died on 20 June 2012 after a brief illness.

Awards

He received

award in 1972 for the trauma care and rehabilitation provided to soldiers injured in 1971 Bangladesh war, while stationed at

Safdarjung Hospital Safdarjung Hospital is a multi-specialty hospital, and the largest central government hospital in India if measured by bed strength. It is associated with Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and located in the heart of New Delhi on the Ring Road, ...

. He also received

award for medicine in year 2007.

References

External links

*
National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sankaran, Balu 1926 births 2012 deaths Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in medicine Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine Indian medical academics All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi faculty Delhi University faculty 20th-century Indian medical doctors Medical doctors from Tamil Nadu