A Tribute to Dr. A. Venugopal

Dr. A.L. Venugopal was one among the expert members in the Committee for the establishment of the Tamil Nadu Dr.M.G.R.MedicalUniversity, Chennai in the year 1987.

Fulfilling a father’s vision

Dr. A.L.Venuguopal, the illustrious doctor son of an illustrious doctor father, Dr. A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, who passed away recently was a pioneer in Urology in India and is best known for having established in 1967 the country’s first dedicated Urology Department in MadrasMedicalCollege.Significant in many ways though this be, perhaps even more important was his mentoring of an institution his father had dreamed of establishing at the University of Madras.

Dr. A.L.Venuguopal, the illustrious doctor son of an illustrious doctor father, Dr. A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, who passed away recently was a pioneer in Urology in India and is best known for having established in 1967 the country’s first dedicated Urology Department in MadrasMedicalCollege.Significant in many ways though this be, perhaps even more important was his mentoring of an institution his father had dreamed of establishing at the University of Madras.

Dr. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar had dreamed of a Postgraduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences during his tenure as Vice-Chancellor(1942-1969).But it was not to be, not even for several years after he left the University.But no sooner Dr. Malcolm Adiseshaiah become Vice-Chancellor, he revived the idea and appointed Dr. A. Venugopal as Honorary Director to see the project through.The Institute was inaugurated on April 1, 1976 and has not looked back since, expanding over the years on its Taramani campus.Today it bears the name of the visionary who had wanted it established.

It was under Dr.Venugopal’s leadership that department after department was established in a couple of years, starting with the Department of Medical Biochemistry and followed by Departments of Endocrinology, Genetics, Microbiology, Pharmcology, Physiology, Environmental, Toxicology, Anatomy, and Pathology.To-day it is considered a leading research centre.