Sivapatham Vittal (30 August 1941 – 26 November 2024) was an Indian surgical endocrinologist, considered by many as the Father of Surgical Endocrinology in India. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

honored Vittal in 2011, with the fourth highest civilian award of

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 ...

Life and career

Sivapatham Vittal was born in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

Madras Province The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency in ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

on 30 August 1941. He graduated in medicine from

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 ...

from where he also obtained his post graduate degree. Joining his alma mater as a faculty member, he is reported to have been instrumental in establishing the Department of Endocrinology at Madras Medical College in 1987, known to be the first such department in India and was its first head of the department, a post he held till 1999. Vittal, the founder president of the Indian Association of Endocrine Surgeons, was a president of the Association of Surgeons of India and the International College of Surgeons, India chapter. He served as the surgical tutor at 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 held the chair of its India chapter. He was also a member of the British Association of Endocrine and Thyroid Surgeons and the International Medical Sciences Academy. He is credited with a book and articles on Endocrinology and was a member of the editorial boards of journals such as ''Indian Journal of Surgery'', ''Thyroid Surgery'', ''International Surgery''. He also delivered key note addresses at several conferences and seminars and served as the visiting professor at many universities. An emeritus professor of the

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. ...

, Sivapatham Vittal, post his retirement from Madras Medical College, is associated with the

Apollo Hospitals Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited is an Indian multinational healthcare group headquartered in Chennai. It is the largest for-profit private hospital network in India, with a network of 71 owned and managed hospitals. Along with the eponym ...

, Chennai as an endocrine surgeon. He was also one of the founders of Sree Sai Krishna Hospital, Chennai. He was a Fellow of the

, and the International College of Surgeons, the International Medical Sciences Academy. He was a member of the board of trustees of the

Ethiraj College for Women Ethiraj College for Women is an arts and science college for women in Chennai, India, managed by the Ethiraj College Trust. It was founded in 1948 by the barrister V. L. Ethiraj of Vellore. History Chairmen Source: * V. L. Ethiraj (1948–60 ...

, Chennai. Vittal died on 26 November 2024, at the age of 83.

Awards and recognitions

Sivapatham Vittal was a recipient of the 1995 Dr. B. C. Roy Award, the highest Indian award in the medical category. Two years later, the

honored him with the ''Silver Medallion'' and the next year, in 1998, the

Government of Tamil Nadu The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...

awarded him the ''Tamil Nadu Scientist Award''. In 2001, he received the ''Human Excellence Award'' from the Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence. The Association of Surgeons of India conferred ''Dr B M Sundaravadanam Best Teacher Award'' on Vittal in 2005, and the same year he received the ''Overseas Gold medal'' from the

. The ''Teachers' Teacher Award'' reached him in 2007 and

awarded the ''Lifetime Achievement Award'' from

in 2010. The next year, the

included Vittal in the Republic day honours list for the award of

Life and career

Awards and recognitions

References

Further reading