Hirji S. Adenwalla
Hirji Sorab Adenwalla (5 June 1930 – 27 May 2020) was an Indian missionary who joined the Jubilee Mission in Kerala, India, as a surgeon.[1] Adenwalla turned what was originally a small dispensary into a 1500-bedded medical college and research institute called the Jubilee Mission Medical College.[2] Adenwalla specialized in cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries, providing treatment at low or no cost to more than 21,000 patients.[3] Adenwalla contributed several new techniques to the cleft lip surgery, such as a method to avoid a vermillion notch, a protocol for cleft lip nose correction in unilateral cleft lips, and a procedure for septal repositioning.[1][4]
Personal life
Adenwalla was born in the city of Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, India, to a Parsi family.[3] In 1955, he completed his graduate and postgraduate studies in surgery at the King Edward Memorial Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College, where his father was the dean.[5] Afterwards, Adenwalla worked as a surgeon at the Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children in Mumbai, where he gained experience in pediatric and plastic surgery under the mentorship of Charles Pinto, a surgeon at the hospital who specialized in cleft lip and palate surgeries.[1]
Career
Adenwalla had planned to join the physician and theologian
Adenwalla began recruiting and training specialists and eventually the Jubilee Mission Hospital developed into a medical college and research institute with 1500 beds.
Legacy
Adenwalla contributed several new techniques to the cleft lip surgery. He introduced a protocol to avoid a vermillion notch and a protocol for cleft lip nose correction in unilateral cleft lips. He also pioneered a method for repairing the nasal deformity during cleft lip surgery, at a time when few surgeons attempted to do so over concerns of causing a growth disturbance of the nose.
Awards
He received the Joseph McCarthy Award for Excellence in Medicine and Humanitarian Services in November, 2006.[3] Adenwalla represented India on the Medical Advisory Board for Smile Train New York and was a member of the Advisory Committee for Smile Train India.
Death
Adenwalla died in May 2020 due to age-related ailments.[3]
References
- ^ PMID 32884183.
- ^ a b c d e "Tributes paid to Indian smile-making medical missionary - UCA News". ucanews.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
- ^ a b c d e f Ramavarman, T. (May 28, 2020). "Kerala: He may be gone, but the smiles remain". The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
- ^ a b Narayanan. "Primary rhinoplasty at the time of unilateral cleft lip repair: A review and our protocol". jclpca.org. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
- ^ a b c d Adenwalla, Sherna F (June 30, 2020). "Hirji S Adenwalla". The BMJ. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ "Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur, Kerala, India". jubileemissionmedicalcollege.org. Retrieved 2020-12-16.