Prominent cardiologist and founding director of the National Heart Institute in Delhi Padmavati Sivaramakrishna Iyer passed away here on Sunday.
She was 103 years old.
Dr. Padmavati was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1967 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1992.
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She was also the recipient of the Harvard Medical International Award, Dr B.C. Roy Award and Kamla Menon Research Award and remained active till almost the very end, advising patients and physicians.
Disciplined lifestyle
Though Dr. Padmavati had retired from active practice a few years ago, she would still meet older patients and remain up-to-date about medical research and literature. She often attributed her longevity to her genes and disciplined lifestyle.
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She also had many firsts to her credit, including establishing the first cardiac clinic and cath lab at the Lady Hardinge Medical College in Delhi; initiation of India’s first Doctorate of Medicine in Cardiology; and setting up cardiology departments at the prestigious Maulana Azad Medical College, GB Pant Hospital.
Born in 1917 in Burma (now Myanmar), she was the first woman to receive a medical degree from Rangoon Medical College. Soon after she completed her studies, Japan invaded Burma in 1942. Dr. Padmavati, with her mother and four sisters, fled the country, taking the last flight to India. She was eventually reunited with her father and brothers when World War-II ended.
In 1949, Dr. Padmavati moved to London as a fellow with the Royal College of Physicians in London and the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh. She studied in Sweden before receiving a 1949 fellowship with the Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Paediatrics. In Baltimore, she trained under Dr. Helen Taussig, who pioneered the first surgeries on ‘blue babies’, or babies born with congenital heart defects.
In 1952, she joined Harvard Medical School. She returned to India in 1953.