Profile of Dr. Sengadu Srinivasa Badrinath ( Dr S S B),Founder of Sankara Nethralaya, Medical Research Foundation, Chennai

Dr. Sengadu Srinivasa Badrinath

Born in Triplicane, Chennai , India in 1940, to Sri S.V.Srinivasa Rao and Smt Lakshmi Devi as their last sibling. Father served as an honest civil engineer in the Government service and mother a lovable home maker. Dr Badrinath had a happy childhood, except for Suffering from Indian Childhood cirrhosis. Hence his scholastic education started at age eight though in the right grade. He was in cubs,NCC(airwing)and specially interested in aeromodelling.In the medical college he obtained an university first rank in Ophthalmology.

 

He did Postgraduate medical studies in USA between 1963 ND 1970.An FRCS from Canada (1968) he is American Board certified (1969) both in Ophthalmology. He He worked as a fellow in the last 18 months of stay in America with Dr Charles l Scopens at the Harvard university, the Mass Eye and ear infirmary He returned to India in 1970 and established a professional reputation both in Ophthalmology and vitreo retinal surgery. He served in the eye dept of VHS hospital Adyar, Chennai for a period of 7 years.He started the Medical research foundation , Sankara Nethralaya , on the command of His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Jeyendra saraswathi Swamigal the Sankarcharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Kanchipuram. Tamilnadu.

 

The Medical research foundation (1978) and Vision research foundation (1983)are single specialty tertiary care hospital which are almost 3 decades old. Not only quality care at affordable cost but also Postgraduate education in Ophthalmology, Para ophthalmic subjects such as Optometry, Laboratory sciences and ophthalmic and visual sciences research.

 

The reputation the institution has earned is because of professional and non professional staff who number now 1700.Excellent infrastructure such as training of staff both within India and outside India and provision of cutting egde instruments and equipments for staff to provide the best care for patients Branches in Kolkotta, Tirupathi and Rameswaram provide comfort to patients from different parts of the country .For the indigent, different eye surgeries including the complicated ones are provided with the same quality as for paying patients, Nearly 16,00 surgeries are done per annum out of which one third ,over 5,000 are done totally free.

 

A PadmaSri, Padma Bhushan, Dr Badrinath has received Honorary Doctorates from 3 universities including the University of Missouri . USA , He was also honored by the Royal college of Surgeons Edinburgh with an Honorary FRCS,  Further he has also received numerous prestigious awards and honors both from within India and Outside. He was awarded the Life time achievement award by the AIOS in 2011.

 

He has published close to 70 scientific papers. He has lent his name for a book wholly written by Dr. Prema Padhmanabhan titled “Preferred Practice Pattern.”

 

Students trained at the Medical research foundation and allied institutions by Dr Badrinath and his colleagues/associates in India and abroad number nearly 1000 not only in Ophthalmlogy but also in visual sciences. There is 450 strong Sankara Nethralaya Alumni conducting annually two meetings for former trainees to get together, Happily married to Dr Vasanthi Badrinath, Director of Laboratory services at MRF the couple have two adult sons.