Padma Bhushan Dr RD Lele, a doyen of medicine, passed away on June 24, 2022.

Dr Lele was Hon. Chief Physician at Jaslok Hospital and Research Center in Mumbai. He played a seminal role in establishing the specialty of nuclear medicine in India and founded the Dept. of Nuclear Medicine at Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai and served as its director. He was also Former Dean and Emeritus Professor of Medicine (for life), Grant Medical College & Sir JJ Group of hospitals in Mumbai.

Dr Lele was a brilliant and skilled doctor, a “walking and talking encyclopedia of medicine”. He was also a teacher par excellence, a scientist, researcher, orator, public health crusader, publisher, author, etc. He was the first recipient of the “Gifted Teacher Award” instituted by the Association of Physicians of India.

His quest for knowledge extended beyond his specialty. He authored 12 books on varied topics such as Ayurveda, Homeopathy, medical profession and law, Computers in medicine, rural reconstruction, besides medicine and nuclear medicine. His last book “History of Medicine in India” highlighting the contemporary relevance of Ayurveda as life science, was published on the occasion of his 93rd birthday in 2021. It is a must-read for all practitioners of modern medicine and the Ayush systems as well as students and teachers.

The life of Dr RD Lele, as inscribed in his aptly-titled autobiography “Pursuit of Excellence”, will continue to inspire us.

Dr RD Lele was a towering personality in medicine. His passing away has left a huge void in the field of medicine. The scientific community and the medical fraternity will miss his erudite guidance.

IJCP Group pays its tributes to Dr RD Lele and expresses deep and heartfelt condolences to the family.

Om Shanti!