Arjunan Rajasekaran (born 1935) is an Indian urologist and one of the pioneers of male infertility therapy in India. He is a former professor and head of the Department of Urology at the

Madras Medical College Madras Medical College (MMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1835, it is one of the oldest medical colleges in India, as well as in Asia. History The Government General Hospital was established ...

, the founder of ''Madras Andrology and Assisted Reproduction Research Centre'', a Chennai-based male infertility clinic, and a recipient of

Dr. B. C. Roy Award The Bidhan Chandra Roy Award is an award instituted in 1962 in memory of Dr. B. C. Roy by the Medical Council of India. It is presented by the President of India in New Delhi every year on July 1, National Doctors' Day. It is also the highest h ...

, the highest Indian award in the medical category. He heads the

National Board of Examinations National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and established in 1975 at New Delhi as a Society under Delhi Society registration act, to sta ...

as its president, the highest academic position in the medical sector in India. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, in 2008, for his contributions to medical science.

Biography

A. Rajasekaran was born on 17 November 1935 in

Nellikuppam Nellikuppam is a town and a municipality in Cuddalore city Corporation in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territor ...

South Arcot South Arcot District was a district in the Madras Presidency of British India. It covered the area of the present-day districts of Cuddalore, Kallakurichi and Viluppuram in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The district was divided into eight talu ...

of the south Indian state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. After graduating in medicine from

Stanley Medical College Stanley Medical College (SMC) is a public university, public medical school, medical college 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 ...

, Chennai, he started his career at a Primary Health Centre in

Vadalur Vadalur is a town and 2nd-grade municipality in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu. It is from Chennai, the state capital of Tamil Nadu. History Ramalinga Swamigal, often called Vallalar, established the Satyagnana Sabha, Vadalur, Sathyagnana S ...

village as a village doctor. Later, he did his MCh in Urology at

and joined the Government Royapettah Hospital in 1971 where he established its first infertility clinic. The next year, he moved to

Kilpauk Medical College Government Kilpauk Medical College (GKMC) is a government medical institution in Chennai, India. Founded in 1960, there are four hospitals attached to GKMC - Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital. They are Government Royapettah Hospital ...

as a professor of urology and worked there till 1988 when he was appointed as the professor and head of the Department of Urology of Madras Medical College in 1988, a position he till he superannuated in 1998. It was during his tenure as the head of the department that Percutaneous renal surgery and Ureterorenoscopy were introduced in the hospital. In 1991, while he was working at Madras Medical College, he founded ''Madras Andrology and Assisted Reproduction Research Centre'' in Chennai, a dedicated facility for treating male infertility, reported to be the first of its kind in India. Rajasekaran is a former president of the Urological Society of India (1992–93) and serves as a visiting professor at various universities. He has earlier served as the president of the

for two terms and is its incumbent president. He has chaired the faculty selection committee of

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 ...

and is a member of

Medical Council of India The Medical Council of India (MCI) was a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India until its dissolution on 25 September 2020 when it was replaced by National Medical Commission. The Council grante ...

National Institute of Health and Family Welfare The National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) is an autonomous, apex technical institute under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The Institute focuses on training and research in the fields of public health, heal ...

, and

Indian Council of Medical Research The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world. The ICMR is funded by the Gove ...

. He has delivered several award orations, published medical articles and has contributed to ''The Infertility Manual'' published in 2004. He is a fellow of the

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The RCSEd has five faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical and healthcare specialities. Its main campus is locate ...

and a recipient of

honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

doctorate from

Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University ( TNMGRMU) is a government medical university situated in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the premier medical universities in India, named after the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. ...

(1998). He received

, the highest Indian medical award, in 1998 from the Medical Council of India. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honor of the

in 2008. He is also a recipient of Urology Gold Medal, Distinguished Teacher Award (2000) and Eminent Medical Luminary Award (2006).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajasekaran, Arjunan Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine 1935 births Living people People from Cuddalore district Madras Medical College alumni University of Madras alumni Indian urologists Indian medical academics Indian medical writers Indian medical administrators Medical Council of India Indian Council of Medical Research Dr. B. C. Roy Award winners Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Scientists from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Indian surgeons