It was a trip down the memory lane for many on Saturday (January 17, 2025), when former heads of the department of Cardiology at SCTIMST, current and former faculty members and cardiologists who have passed through the portals of the Institute met together to celebrate the golden jubilee of the department, marking 50 years of excellence in patient care, clinical training and research.
Inaugurating the golden jubilee celebrations, the Director of SCTIMST, Sanjay Behari, recollected the journey of the department which began in 1976 with limited faculty, has several firsts to its credit and which is today a nationally recognised academic and clinical care hub in Cardiology.
“The Cardiology department at SCTIMST has consistently combined patient-centric care with innovation and high-quality training, creating generations of cardiologists who now serve across the country and beyond,” he said, adding that ethical practice and scientific integrity had remained its enduring strengths.
Harikrishnan S, Senior Professor and Head of the Department of Cardiology, outlined how the department had played a pivotal role in advancing cardiology in India over five decades. The golden jubilee was the celebration of a shared legacy built on clinical excellence, research, innovation and patient-centric care, he said
The Cardiology department of SCTIMST set up one of the earliest cardiac catheterization laboratories in the country and performed the first radiofrequency ablation for cardiac rhythm disorders in India.
Apart from being a prominent training centre in the country, the department is also a major referral centre for complex cardiac interventions. Over the past decade, the department has received nearly ₹30 crore in extramural funding from national and international agencies, supporting approximately 25 major research projects.
Among the special guests who graced the occasion and reminisced over their years that were spent in shaping the department of Cardiology included the very first Head of the department, KG Balakrishnan and former HoDs, Ajit Kumar V.K., Jagan Mohan Tharakan, K. Jayakumar, among others.
Kris Gopalakrishnan, President, SCTIMST; Sunil Kumar, head of Autonomous Institutions, DST and K.K. Narayanan Namboothiri, senior faculty member, also spoke.
Alumni awards and thesis awards were presented in recognition of outstanding contributions by former students and young researchers. A special “Down the Memory Lane” segment traced the department’s journey from inception and featured several pictures of yesteryears.
A fun quiz on the Cardiology department was also part of the show.
Published – January 17, 2026 09:50 pm IST
