Dr. Raghu Ram Pillarisetti OBE

About

EARLY LIFE & EDUCATION

Dr Raghu Ram Pillarisetti was born on 22 September in Guntur to medical doctor parents, Prof. P. V. Chalapathi Rao, a recipient of Dr. B.C. Roy National Award and Dr. Ushalakshmi Kumari, a well known Gynecologist & a gritty breast cancer ‘conqueror’. He did his schooling from the Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, MBBS from Siddhartha Medical College,Vijayawada & secured a master’s degree in surgery (MS), obtaining the first place from Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore in 1995. He then went to UK and obtained FRCS in 1997 from three out of the four Surgical Royal Colleges in the British Isles (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ireland). He subsequently completed structured Higher Surgical Training & subspecialty training in oncoplastic breast surgery at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London and at the Nottingham Breast Institute in Nottingham. Much as he had lucrative career opportunities in the UK, he relocated to India that is Bharat in 2007 to take care of his mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer and serve his motherland. Over the past 17 years (2007 – 2024), he has been working with missionary zeal to transform the delivery of Breast healthcare in the Country through a number of unique and innovative initiatives.

QUALIFICATIONS

  • MBBS

    Siddhartha Medical College, Vijayawada, India

  • MS (General Surgery)

    Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, India

  • FRCS

    (Edinburgh)

  • FRCS

    (Glasg)

  • FRCS

    (Ireland)

  • FRCS (England)

    Fellowship ad eundem conferred by the Royal College of Surgeons of England

  • FACS

    (The American College of Surgeons)

  • Honorary Fellowship conferred by The Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand

    Hon. FRCS (Thailand)

  • Honorary Fellowship conferred by The College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka

    Hon. FCSSL (Sri Lanka)

  • Honorary Fellowship conferred by The Chinese College of Surgeons

    Hon. FCCS (China)

  • Honorary Fellowship conferred by The Association of Surgeons of Great Britain & Ireland
  • Honorary Fellowship conferred by The Royal College of Surgeons of England

    Hon. FRCS (England)

Awards, Recognition & Honours

  • Founding Director, KIMS-USHALAKSHMI Centre for Breast Diseases at KIMS Hospitals in Hyderabad, which is South Asia’s first purpose built comprehensive Breast Health Centre
  • Founder, CEO & Director, Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation, a not-for-profit Breast Cancer Charity in the southern Indian State of Telangana
  • Best known for transforming breast cancer from a “taboo/closet” issue to a much commonly discussed one, thus bringing about the much needed awareness about importance of “early detection” relating to the most common cancer affecting women in India, through a series of innovative disruptive initiatives’ that he been championing over the past 17 years (2007 – 2023)
  • Youngest ever recipient of the “Overseas Gold Medal” in the 518 years history of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, which is one of the oldest Surgical College in the World (2013)
  • Youngest Surgeon from the southern Indian States of Telangana & Andhra Pradesh to have been conferred the Padma Shri, which is one of the highest civilian awards of the land (2015)
  • Youngest Surgeon from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to have been conferred Dr. B.C. Roy National award, which is the highest recognition that can be achieved by a doctor practicing in India (2016)
  • One of the youngest Surgeons of Indian origin in over 100 years to be honoured with an OBE, which is the second highest ranking Order of British Empire (excluding a Knighthood) in 2020
  • First & the only surgeon of Indian origin in over 100 years to be have been conferred Honorary Fellowship of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (2021)
  • Youngest surgeon of Indian origin in over 400 years to be have been conferred Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, which is one of the oldest & the most prestigious Surgical College in the British Isles (2022)
  • Youngest surgeon to be conferred ASI Lifetime Achievement award by The Association of Surgeons of India, which is the highest honour bestowed by Asia Pacific’s largest & the world’s second largest surgical Organisation (2023).
  • Youngest recipient of Lifetime Achievement award bestowed by Telugu Association of London - the first person of Indian origin residing outside of the UK to be conferred this high honour (2023)