Prof Dr J R Sankaran

He chose to participate in ongoing research activities, and published nearly 100 papers over his lifetime. He set up the Central Research Cell at Madras Medical College and Government General Hospital, Chennai, which helped a large number of PGs and UGs to further their research interests. Teaching was his passion, and his bedside clinics were extremely popular, throughout his life.

As HIV was first discovered, he developed the major interest in the treatment of this disease, and was one of the first two individuals chosen by The Government of India to do research and treatment for HIV. During his lifetime he visited most of the major HIV care centres in India and across the world and was instrumental in setting up HIV care centres across several states in India.

For his teaching skills and passion he was awarded the BC Roy award by the Medical Council of India, Lifetime Achievement Award by the Government of Tamil Nadu, Best Teacher award by The Tamil Nadu MGR.Medical University, and Lifetime Achievement Award by The Indian Medical Association, Vocational excellence award by the Rotary club. He was also a PhD and a DSc from the University of Singapore

He was always very fond of medical students and across the world Dr JRS still has a huge following. In the last 20 years of his life, he established Dr Rajarathinam Medical and Educational Trust (1997) through which hundreds of HIV patients are treated free or at heavily subsidised rates and educational help is given to girl children. An orphanage called CHILD, which now houses 25 HIV orphans, (they are negative for virus but lost both parents died of it), in Kolathur in Chennai, was his brainchild, and all the work he began is continuing after he reached his heavenly abode in 2014.

He lives on in the hearts of thousands of students and lakhs of patients he helped in his life.