Mahendra Bhandari

Mahendra Bhandari
Born	December 24, 1945 (1945-12-24) (age 65)
Nationality	India
Occupation	Urologist and Senior Bio-Scientist at the Vattikuti Urology Institute at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI
Religion	Hindu
Spouse	Sushma Bhandari
Children	Dr. Akshay Bhandari

Mahendra Bhandari (born December 24, 1945) is a noted Indian surgeon who has made substantial contributions to the specialty of urology, medical training, hospital administration, and medical ethics. For his efforts, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the government of India in 2000.^[1] Bhandari is currently visiting professor and senior bio-scientist at the Vattikuti Urology Institute (VUI) in Detroit, MI.^[2] He is also the Symposium coordinator of the International Robotic Urology Symposium.

Academic career

A medical graduate of Rajasthan University, Bhandari completed his urology residency at Madras University in Chennai, India. Beginning his academic career as a lecturer at the Sawai Man Singh Medical College and Hospital in Jaipur, Bhandari would eventually rise to become the Head of the Department of Urology and Kidney Transplantation at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) in Lucknow, India. Here, Bhandari mentored leading robotic surgeon, Dr. Ashutosh Tewari, until Tewari's graduation in 1991. He is the founder of the Center of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance in Lucknow, India and is currently enlisted as an honorary professor.^[3]

Bhandari's eclectic interests include kidney transplantation, stone disease, and urethroplasty.^[4] Bhandari’s research would substantially improve the management of urethral strictures, the narrowing of the urethra, caused by either injury or infection. Bhandari also establish the Indian Journal of Urology in 1984, an open-access and widely read source of literature.^[5]

In April 2008, Bhandari completed a graduate bio-statistic course at the Faculty of Arts and Science at Harvard University alongside with two of his most promising associates. He is also currently pursuing his Masters in Business Administration at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is expected to graduate in March 2010.

Administration

Upon promotion to Dean and lead administrator of the SGPGIMS in Lucknow, Bhandari began a long, productive, and colorful administrative career. Despite severe resistance from entrenched interests and the general bureaucratic nature of government of India, Bhandari played a key role in advancing India’s medical training as the country entered the 21st century.

Serving on the boards of multiple journals and as the president of several medical societies, Bhandari exerted vast influence on the practice and teaching of medicine, especially the development of residency programs for the specialty of urology. After a successful span at the SGPGIMS, he was named director and became the first Vice-Chancellor of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj Medical University (erstwhile King George's Medical University) in Lucknow, India in 2003.^[3][6] His leadership also included a founding role in the production of medvarsity.com, an online portal for medical education.^[7]

Bhandari Operating in Malaysia.

Medical Ethics Activism

Bhandari’s interest in renal transplantation sparked an active role in creating regulations for safe donor practices while addressing gender and economic inequality in access to care. In 2004, Bhandari was a member of the select Vancouver forum that created a definitive statement for ethical live lung, liver, pancreas, and intestinal organ donation.^[8]

Vattikuti Urology Institute

Bhadari made his move to Detroit, Michigan to join Dr. Mani Menon and his team of robotic surgeons at the Vattikuti Urology Institute (VUI) in 2005, to aid them in advancing methods to treat prostate cancer and other urology procedures robotically. At the VUI, Bhandari has focused on developing the clinical research program and improving the use of biostatistics in medical research. He is also actively promoting the development of robotic surgery in Indian urology.^[9]

References

1. ^ Bhandari a Padma Shri winner
2. ^ Mahendra Bhandari - The Vattikuti Urology Institute
3. ^ ^{a b} Centre of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance
4. ^ Bhandari Research Profile
5. ^ Indian Journal of Urology
6. ^ History of KGMU
7. ^ Creation of MedVarsity
8. ^ Vancouver Ethics Forum
9. ^ Robotic Surgery in India

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Name	Bhandari, Mahendra
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Date of birth	December 24, 1945
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