Prof Amit Banerjee takes over as VC of Odisha’s SOA University

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Jan 8:

Renowned cardio-thoracic surgeon, Prof (Dr) Amit Banerjee joined as the new vice chancellor of Odisha’s  Siksha O Anusandhan (SOA) University here on Thursday.

Banerjee, who recently retired as the director-professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the GB Pant Hospital in New Delhi, was formerly vice chancellor of the West Bengal University of Health Sciences.

He also served as medical superintendent of the Janakpuri Superspeciality Hospital and Lok Nayak Hospital of Delhi government. He also worked as professor and head of Surgery, Delhi University.

A graduate from the Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi in 1971, he did his MS in general surgery and M.Ch in cardiothoracic surgery from the same institution in 1977.

In recognition of his contributions in the field of health sciences and services, Dr Banerjee received several awards and honours like Dr BC Roy National Award in 2007, Delhi Government State Award in 2006, WHO Fellowship in 1993 and Ethicon Travelling Fellowship in 1983. He received the ‘Distinguished Alumnus’ Award from Maulana Azad Medical College.

Dr Banerjee, whose name figures in the Limca Book of Records for conducting the first Maze III procedure for atrial fibrillation in 1994, was also honoured for the Meharji Mehta Oration at Pune in 2008, Dr CS Sadasivan Oration at New Delhi in 2010 and Dr RC Jain Memorial Oration in New Delhi.

He was the first surgeon in the world to do the procedure of mitral valve implantations on beating heart with total valvular preservation and ablation of atrial fibrillation. He spearheaded original work on repair of atrial septal defects on beating heart which enables a patient to be discharged from hospital within 24 hours after open heart surgery.

A former head of cardiothoracic surgery at JIPMER, Pondicherry, Banerjee was a member of the group set up under the prime minister’s directive to inspect tertiary health care facilities in Nagaland and Mizoram and suggest improvements in 1997. He was also a member of the team selected by the Medical Council of India for revision of curriculum in cardiothoracic surgery at the national level.

He was invited to deliver the keynote lecture at the World Congress of Cardiac Surgery in Greece in 2008 and invited as a faculty at the World Valve Congress at New York in 2010.

He is presently a member of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgeons, National College of Chest Physicians of India, Indian Medical Association, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, USA, International Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons and founder-member of Indian Association for Bronchology.