Rajam Ramamurthy, MD, a longtime member of the AMA International Medical Graduate (IMG) Section, recently was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus of Bangalore Medical College award during the college’s 65th anniversary celebration.
Dr. Ramamurthy, professor emeritus of the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, was appointed by the AMA-IMG Section to the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates Board and served for eight years. She is an advocated for excellence in global health education and speaks frequently on international medical graduates in the physician workforce.
Dr. Ramamurthy graduated from Bangalore Medical College in 1965 and received her pediatric training and fellowship in neonatology from Cook County Hospital in Chicago. She joined the UT Health Science Center in 1977, was a tenured professor and held the Rita and William Head Distinguished Professor in Environmental and Developmental Pediatrics endowment until her retirement in 2014. She continues her research on long-term outcomes of premature babies and the genetics of prematurity.
The Bangalore Medical College of Rajeev Gandhi University is listed among the top 10 medical colleges in India. Dr. Ramamurthy and a group of neonatologists from the United States have helped promote the development of neonatology as a sub-specialty in India since 1978. The annual educational activities by this group of physicians and participation in the Indian Academy of Pediatrics educational forum laid the foundation for the birth of neonatology as a post-graduate sub-specialty following training in pediatrics. Dr. Ramamurthy helped to launch the neonatal resuscitation program in India in the early 1990s.
The awards ceremony participants included K.S. Ravindranath, MD, vice chancellor of Rajeev Gandhi University of Health Sciences; P.K. Devadass, MD, dean of Rajeev Gandhi University of Health Sciences; K.M. Srinivasa Gowda, MD, convener of the Diamond Jubilee; and T. Rajeswari, MD, president of the BMC Alumni Association participated.
