S. I. Padmavati

1. 🌏 Born in 1917 in Rangoon, Burma, S. I. Padmavati fled Japanese invasion in 1942, escaping with her mother and sisters to Coimbatore, India, leaving male relatives behind until 1945. 2. 🎓 After earning her MBBS from Rangoon Medical College, she pursued advanced cardiology training at Royal College of Physicians, London (FRCP, 1949), then studied briefly in Sweden before joining Johns Hopkins Hospital under Helen Taussig in 1951. 3. 🩺 In 1953, she returned to India to start the country's first cardiac clinic at Lady Hardinge Medical College, Delhi, and soon initiated the first DM cardiology course with the Medical Council of India. 4. 🏥 In 1962, Padmavati founded the All India Heart Foundation alongside industrialist Ashok Jain to promote cardiac care and preventive cardiology, later establishing the National Heart Institute in Delhi in 1981. 5. 🏆 Awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1967, she simultaneously managed Maulana Azad Medical College, Lok Nayak Hospital, and G.B. Pant Hospital during the 1970s, retiring as Director of MAMC in 1978. 6. 👩‍⚕️ At age 90, she became a fellow of the European Society of Cardiology in 2007, underscoring her lifelong dedication to cardiology education and research. 7. ❓ What motivated Dr. S. I. Padmavati to return from prestigious institutions in the US and Europe to build cardiac care infrastructure in India, despite opportunities abroad?