Template:Infobox scientist A. N. Chandrasekaran (born Arungundram Nagarajan Chandrasekaran in 1938, in Rammayapet, Andhra Pradesh) is an Indian doctor and philanthropist from Chennai, India.[1][2]
Early years and military career
Chandrasekaran was born on 15 October 1938 as Arungundram Nagarajan Chandrasekaran in Rammayapet, Andhra Pradesh. He joined the Madras Medical College and completed his MBBS in 1962. In 1963, he joined the Army Medical Corps and served in the aftermath of the Indo-Chinese War of 1962[3] and through the Indo-Pakistani War in 1965 in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as a part of the 8th Gorkha Rifles[4] regiment. Attaining the rank of Captain, for his service Chandrasekaran was awarded the Raksha Medal, Samar Seva Star, and the Sainya Seva Medal.[1]
Medical career
In 1972, Chandrasekaran pioneered the first dedicated Department of Rheumatology in India at Madras Medical College[1][5][6][7] and subsequently developed into an advanced training institute that has produced more than fifty Doctor of Medicine graduates and six PhD scholars[8] who subsequently created rheumatology departments and studies across India.[2] He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles on rheumatology[9] and, in 1994, launched the Journal of Indian Rheumatism Association (JIRA), the first scientific journal dedicated to rheumatology in India.[8][10] In 1997 he was elected Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Medical Sciences (FNAMS).[11]
In 1993, Chandrasekaran conducted some of the earliest medical studies done under the direction of the World Health Organization showing the efficacy of traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.[12][1][2]
He successfully sued the Government of Tamil Nadu for discrimination and was, in 2012, awarded by the Madras High Court the position of the Director of Medical and Rural Health Services, the highest medical posting in state of Tamil Nadu.[13][14][15]
Philanthropy
Apart from his contributions to medicine, Chandrasekaran was involved in the philanthropic development of rural India. In 2011 he established a maternity hospital in Arungundram[1] along with his earlier establishments of a primary school,[16] a public library, and community center.[3][4] He was also credited with discovering and restoring a 1200-year-old ancient temple from Template:Circa CE or earlier[17][18][19][20] for which he was awarded the R.E.A.C.H. Foundation Award by Academy of Archaeology and Sciences of Ancient India (AASAI).[21][1]
Awards
In addition to his military awards, among the awards conferred on Chandrasekaran include:
- Dr. B.C. Roy Award, Highest award for medical excellence in India (1992)[2]
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian Rheumatism Association (2005)[2][22][23]
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the Madras Medical College (2010)[1]
- R.E.A.C.H Foundation Heritage award (2011)[21]
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University (2011)[24]
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the King George's Medical University, Lucknow (2013)
- Honorary Doctorate from MGR Medical University (2013)[25][26]
- Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology Master Award (2020)[27][28][29]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Madras Medical College Alumni. alumnimmc.com.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Healing Hands, Inspiring Hearts: The Legacy of Dr. AN Chandrasekaran. Current Medical Issues({Template:Date).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hariharan Kundram Public Charitable Trust - Dr ANC Biography. arungundram.com. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Living Legend in Medicine - Captain Prof. Dr. A. N. Chandrasekaran. CME INDIA(2025-10-14). Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ Directorate of Medical Education. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ Association of Rheumatologists of Tamilnadu. www.tnrheumatology.org. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ {{{title}}}, DIN. Dinamani(2022-11-12). Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 History of IRA & Rheumatology in India. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ A N Chandrasekaran's research works. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ Department of Rheumatology – Reminiscence – IRA eNewsLetter. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ List of Fellows NAMS. National Academy of Medical Sciences, India.
- ↑ Study of Ayurvedic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis comparing with Auranofin. Indian Practitioner({Template:Date).
- ↑ {{{title}}}, தினமணி. Dinamani(2009-05-22). Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ↑ Health Secy ticked off over promotion tangle. The New Indian Express(2012-05-15). Retrieved 2026-02-08.
- ↑ Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
- ↑ Hariharan Kundram Public Charitable Trust - School. www.arungundram.com. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ↑ Visit Temples: Best Website for Visiting Temples in India. visittemples.com. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ Heritage trip to Arunkundram, Thirupanmalai and Thirumalai. Raman's kirukkalgal(2011-03-03). Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ Hariharan Kundram Public Charitable Trust - Temple. arungundram.com. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ {{{title}}}. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 REACH Heritage Awards 2011. REACH Foundation(2015-09-04). Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ Awards & Oration Recipients. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ Dr. M. N. Passey—The Man, the Award and the Awardees. Indian Journal of Rheumatology({Template:Date).
- ↑ {{{title}}}, தினமணி. Dinamani(2012-09-20). Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ↑ {{{title}}}(2013-08-21). Retrieved 2026-02-06.
- ↑ Time to cure medical education of ills: CM. The Hindu(2013-08-21). Retrieved 2026-02-14.
- ↑ Dr Chandrasekaran to get APLAR Master Award. The New Indian Express(2020-10-23). Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ Master Award. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ {{{title}}}. www.unmaiseithigal.page. Retrieved 2026-02-06.