Obituary / Eminent Neurosurgeon Dr Ashok Mahapatra passes away at AIIMS Delhi

Bhubaneswar/New Delhi, Nov 2: Padma Shri awardee and eminent neurosurgeon Dr Ashok Kumar Mahapatra, a pioneering figure in Indian neurosurgery and a key architect of several premier medical institutions, passed away at AIIMS Delhi on Monday. He was 74.

According to sources, Dr Mahapatra breathed his last at 9.15 pm at AIIMS, New Delhi. He was suffering from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Born on December 29, 1952, in Puri, Odisha, Dr Mahapatra completed his MBBS from MKCG Medical College in 1975 before pursuing MS and MCh in Neurosurgery from AIIMS Delhi. He served as a faculty member in the Department of Neurosurgery at AIIMS Delhi from 1983 to 2017, becoming Professor in 1996 and Senior Professor in 2004.

Distinguished Career

During more than four decades in medicine, Dr Mahapatra held several key leadership positions. He served as Director of the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), Lucknow, and went on to become the founder Director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar in 2012. He later retired as Dean (Research), AIIMS New Delhi, after spending nearly 42 years at the premier institution. He also served as Vice-Chancellor of SOA University, Bhubaneswar.

Dr Mahapatra was widely known for his pioneering contributions to neurosurgery and neurosurgical research in India. He earned nationwide recognition for his role in the landmark separation surgery of conjoined twins Jaga and Kalia from Odisha's Kandhamal district, one of the most complex paediatric neurosurgical procedures undertaken in the country.

Scholarly Contributions

A prolific academic, Dr Mahapatra published around 870 research papers, authored 16 books and contributed more than 140 chapters in medical texts. He guided 12 Ph.D. scholars and led over 20 research projects during his distinguished career. His research work received more than 26,800 citations, placing him among globally recognised neuroscientists.

He also founded the Neurological Surgeons Society of India and the Indian Society of Peripheral Nerve Surgery, contributing significantly to the advancement of neurological sciences, paediatric neurosurgery, neurotrauma and peripheral nerve surgery in the country.

Enduring Legacy

A recipient of 75 awards and numerous lifetime achievement honours, Dr Mahapatra was a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences and a member of the Academy of Medical Sciences. His contributions to medicine, institution-building and healthcare innovation will remain a lasting legacy for generations of doctors and researchers.