Venogopal was born at Rajahmundry in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, on 6 July 1942. He enrolled at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, in 1959 to secure his MBBS and continued his higher education at the institute itself. His first post graduate degree was the Master of Surgery (MS) which was followed by MCh in cardiovascular thoracic surgery, which he passed with honors.
In 1970-71, subsequent to his specialization, he joined the Faculty of AIIMS. the major part of his career was spent at AIIMS where he rose progressively, serving as the professor, the Head of the Department and then the Dean, before reaching the post of the Director, the highest academic position on offer at AIIMS, on 1 July 2003.
Soon after joining AIIMS, Venugopal participated in two advanced training programs, an adult Open Heart Surgery training under Denton Cooley at the Texas Heart Institute and paediatric open heart surgery under S. Subramanian, at the Children's Hospital, Buffalo, New York following which he launched the open heart surgery clinic at AIIMS, under the guidance of Professor N. Gopinath, in 1974. This was followed by the establishment of the Cardiothoracic Sciences Centre, where he performed the first heart transplantation in India on 3 August 1994 and, later, for the first time in Asia, the implantation of the Left Ventricular Assist Device
After retirement from AIIMS, Venugopal, moved to the Alchemist Institute of Medical Sciences, in Gurgaon, Haryana as the head of the Cardithoracic department.[4] He got married at the age of 55[5] and has a daughter.
Achievements
Enugopal has pioneered heart transplant surgery in India, having performed the first successful heart transplant in the country,[2] the count now standing at 26 transplants.[1] He performed the first implantation of left ventricular assist device, lasting for more than 90 days, in Asia. He introduced the stem cell therapy,[2] for the first time in India, by the deployment of autologous stem cell implantation for repairing the myocardium as an alternative to transplantation, which he did on 26 patients. He pioneered the stem cell implantation procedure in pancreas for the treatment of Type II Diabetes.[1] On the prolificacy of Venugopal, media reports are in general agreement of his involvement in the performance of over 50,000 open heart[2] and 12,000 closed heart surgeries.[1][3][7] He has been a recognized trainer, too, with more than 100 cardio-thoracic surgeons around the world, trained under him.
On the administrative front, he, along with N. Gopinath, started the open heart surgery in AIIMS. He was also behind the setting up of the Cardiothoracic Sciences Centre, which later became the venue of the first hear transplant surgery in India and the first Left Ventricular Assist Device implantation in Asia. The centre now handles around 3500 open heart surgical procedures annually.
First heart transplant
The Organ Transplant Bill 1994 was passed in the Indian Parliament in May 1994 which legalized the organ transplants in India. The Bill was on the Table of the President of India for final approval when Venugopal led a team of doctors to perform the first successful heart transplant in India on 3 August 1994.[8] This was the first of the 26 heart transplant procedures performed by Venugopal.
Positions
- Professor - All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
- Head of the Department - All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
- Chief - All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi[3]
- Dean - All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi[3]
- Director - All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
- Member - Advisory Panel of Experts for Quality Assurances in Health Care - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
Awards and recognitions
Academic recognitions- Gold Medal for the Best Undergraduate - All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi - 1963
- Gold Medal for the Merit of First Order - All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi - 1967
- Honoris Causa Doctor of Science (DSc) - Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences
- Honoris Causa Doctor of Science (DSc) - Rajasthan University of Health Sciences
Social recognitions
Academic recognitions- Gold Medal for the Best Undergraduate - All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi - 1963
- Gold Medal for the Merit of First Order - All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi - 1967
- Honoris Causa Doctor of Science (DSc) - Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences
- Honoris Causa Doctor of Science (DSc) - Rajasthan University of Health Sciences
Speciality Interests
- Intracranial Tumor Surgery, Including- skull base tumors
- Minimal Invasive and image Guided Neurosurgery
- Spinal Surgery & Minimal Invasive spinal Surgery
- Functional Neurosurgery : Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson, Dystonia, OCD & Epilepsy , Surgery for spasticity and Surgery for pain
- Gamma Knife Radio Surgery
- Peripheral Nerve Surgery with special interest in Brachial Plexus Injuries
Awards and Honours
- Herbert Krause Medal for Best Paper in Neuro-Oncology (NSI 2001)
- Sundt Fellowship by mayo Clinic, USA
- Life Membership Award by Mayo Alumni Association
- Gold Medal in Medical school
- Dr. Majeed Memorial Oration Karachi, Pakistan (2008)
Research and Publication
- Has contributed more than 65 paper and chapter in peer reviewed medical journals and text books
- Has delivered more than 100 guest lectures in India and abroad
- President, Indian Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery
- Secretary, World Spinal Column Society
- Past President, Indian Society for Peripheral Nerve Surgery
Social recognitions
- Padma Bhushan - Government of India - 1998
- Dr. B. C. Roy Award
- Sivananda Eminent Citizen Award - Sanathana Dharma Charitable Trust - 2010
- Indira Priyadarsini Award - 1994
- Goyal Prize - Kurukshetra University - 1994
- Vijay Ratna Award - India International Friendship Society - 1994
- Award of Excellence - Rajiv Gandhi Foundation - 1994
- Dr. N. C. Joshi Memorial Oration Award - 1995
- Dr. Jal R. Vakil Memorial Award - 1996
- Dr. Pinnamaneni and Mrs Sithadevi Award - 1997
- Rashtra Ratan Award - Vishwa Jagriti Mission, Yuva Manch - 2000
- Dhanvantari Award - Dhanvantari Medical Foundation, Mumbai - 2010
- Life Time Achievement Award - Heart Care Foundation, Kochi - 2010
- Great Achiever of India Award - 1994
- Manav Sewa Award - 1994
- Shresht Shree Award
- Dr. K. Sarom Cardiology Excellence Award
- Ratna Shiromani Award