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Professor Dr. M S Biradar – A doyen of internal medicine

2021; Medknow; Volume: 6; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4103/bjhs.bjhs_129_21

2468-838X

Pallavi S Kanthe, G. A. Hadimani, Kusal K. Das,

Primary Care and Health Outcomes

Dr. M S Biradar, Vice Chancellor, BLDE (Deemed to be University), Vijayapur, Karnataka, India, is no more. Professor Dr. M S Biradar passed away on May 12, 2021, due to cardiac arrest in Bengaluru, India. He left for eternal peace leaving thousands of his admirers, friends, students, and beloved family members. Dr. M S Biradar was born on June 1, 1955, in a remote village named Ukali, 22 km away from Vijayapur city. He was brought up in a joint family with agriculture background and was a brilliant student since his childhood. After becoming a topper of Vijayapur district in his pre-university examination, he joined Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (formerly Karnataka Medical College), Hubli, Karnataka, to study MBBS. He received gold medals with distinctions in his medical undergraduate curriculum and became one of the top 10 alumni of all time in his institution. Later, to study further, he joined M. D. in Medicine at Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (formerly Bellary Medical College), Ballary, Karnataka. Again, he earned a gold medal in MD (General Medicine) and subsequently joined as Government Medical Officer in Ballary. After a few years, he joined in Shri B M Patil Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Vijayapur as a teaching faculty member of Medicine. With his hard work and perseverance, Dr. Biradar became a household name as a physician and as a reputed Medicine teacher. Subsequently, he was elevated as a Professor and Head of the Department of Medicine. He further attained the position of Vice Principal and subsequently Principal of Shri B M Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Vijayapur. The newly established BLDE (Deemed to be University) had gained incredible momentum in academic and research activities during his tenure as Principal and Dean, Faculty of Medicine. The number of postgraduate seats was enhanced significantly in the medical college. To fulfill the objective and vision of BLDE (Deemed to be University), Dr. M. S. Biradar took the initiative along with the then Vice Chancellor Prof. B G Mulimani to uplift the research activities and PhD program of the University. To encourage and improve quality of research and collaborations so that the University remains at par with other premier medical research institutes of India, Dr. Biradar and Prof. B G Mulimani worked in unison to bring high-quality academic and research peers from different parts of India and the world as visiting Professors and adjunct Professors! In August 2016, Dr. Biradar took over the charge as Vice Chancellor of BLDE (Deemed to be University) from his mentor and worthy Vice Chancellor Prof. B G Mulimani. From August 2016 to till his demise, the University made remarkable achievements in the field of medical sciences as a true center of excellence among higher education institutions in India. Under his leadership, the teaching, research, and quality medical services reached its peak. The result is clearly reflected with the attainment of 50th rank (Medical) in the National Institutional Ranking Framework, assessed by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. He was extremely concerned for poor and rural folk in and around the Vijayapur and did his best to establish several rural health centers and adopted villages nearby Vijayapur through University. His passion as a physician and human being made him an iconic figure toward his students, colleagues, and thousands of patients. Under his supervision, University encouraged faculty members to get both extramural and intramural research funds with high-quality research projects. He has introduced full-time research scientists and postdoctoral and junior research fellows in BLDE (Deemed to be University) to make it a viable and vibrant research University. These initiatives not only boosted the academic profile of the BLDE (Deemed to be University) but also improved the visibility of University across India and rest of the world. He was instrumental to establish "Laboratory of Vascular Physiology and Medicine" (LVPM), which is a specialized research center exclusively for cardio- and cerebrovascular research in the University.[1] He was the pioneer to establish several Centre for Excellence beside LVPM in the campus like one in the Department of Dermatology, Women and Child Health, Social Determinants of Health, etc.[2,3] He along with Dean, Faculty of Medicine Dr. Aravind V Patiland senior researchers of BLDE (Deemed to be University) along with the great support from Honorable Chancellor of BLDE (Deemed to be University) Dr. M. B. Patil planned to establish a state of art research center for advanced medical research especially in the area of cancer biology, nanomedicine and drug discovery, molecular biology, and immunology which was later named as "Centre for Advanced Medical Research." Not only in research but also in improving the quality of advanced skill and innovation among the students and faculty members, late Dr. Biradar along Dr Aravind V. Patil and present Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. R. S. Mudhol, along with the support from the management, created newly established skills and simulation lab, "Centre for Ideation, Innovation and Incubation" under BLDE (Deemed to be University). To be acquainted with the advancement of medical sciences, Professor Biradar visited several countries in the world. The most significant and fruitful outcome of his international visits was to sign an agreement between BLDE (Deemed to be University) and UNESCO/UNITWIN Network program under UNESCO Chair Life Sciences (Biophysics, Biotechnology, and Environmental Health) and establishment of an UNESCO/UNITWIN center for Environmental Health in BLDE (Deemed to be University). This agreement was signed by UNESCO Science policy head Prof. Fahmi Ahmed and UNESCO Chair life science Prof. Sinerik Ayrapetyan with Prof. M. S. Biradar. Further, multiple research collaborations such as WHO Women and Child health projects, Food and Social determinants projects by Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation, and hypertensive projects under Tulane University were launched. Dr. Biradar was appointed as Visiting Professor by Tulane University, USA, in 2017. During his tenure, BLDE (Deemed to be University) co-hosted first-ever offshore medical conference of BLDE Association during 2019 in La-Paz, Bolivia, along with High Altitude Pulmonary and Pathology Institute, Bolivia. Dr. Biradar visited almost all over the world to understand medicine, academic resources, and research infrastructure and quality education. For his immense contribution to medical education and research, he was conferred "Prof. K. Raghothama Rao Oration 2017" by the Physiological Society of India. He was instrumental for introducing BLDE University Journal of Health Sciences with the support of former Vice Chancellor Prof. B G Mulimani in the year 2016. "He will be seen as a doctor with human touch, as a teacher loved by his students" these words were said by Chancellor of BLDE Deemed to be University, Dr. M B Patil after Prof. Biradar's untimely demise. He left his beloved family members – his spouse Mrs Godavari and two daughters Dr. Aruna and Mrs. Ashwini, two son in-laws, and grandchildren. His departure not only created a void in academic and research but also for thousands of his patients and medical teaching fraternity, who will definitely miss their friend, philosopher, God, and guide – Dr. M S Biradar. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.