Dr. Ashok Seth: A Cardiology Giant from AMU

Who is Ashok Seth?

Aligarh Muslim University has non-ending list of its proud alumni and Dr. Ashok Seth is one of them. On February 27, 2016, AMU awards Dr. Seth with Doctor of Science (DSc – Honoris Causa) in 63rd annual convocation. Dr. Ashok Seth is an Indian interventional cardiologist credited with the performance of over 50,000 angiograms and 20,000 angioplasties, which has been included in the Limca Book of Records, a reference book for achievements and records from an Indian perspective. He is a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of London, Edinburgh and Ireland and serves as the chief cardiologist, holding the chairs of the department of cardiovascular sciences and cardiology council at the Fortis Healthcare. Seth, a recipient of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, was honored by the Government of India with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri, in 2003, followed by Padma Bhushan, the third highest Indian civilian award, in 2015.

Career Highlights

Ashok Seth graduated in Medicine (MBBS) from the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University in 1978. Later, moving to UK for higher education, he served as a cardiologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital of Birmingham University till 1988. During this period, he did advanced training to secure memberships of the Royal College of Physicians of London (MRCP) in 1984 and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (MRCP) in 1986. He returned India in 1988 and joined the Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi, present day Fortis Healthcare, as its Chief of Invasive and Interventional Cardiology and established the Invasive Cardiology programme at the institution. He stayed with Fortis Healthcare till 2004 to move to Max Healthcare, erstwhile Max Heart and Vascular Institute. He has also been serving as an honorary professor of cardiology at several other institutions such as Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal (since 2000), Raipur Medical College (since 2001), Bilaspur Medical College, (since 2001), D. Y. Patil University (since 2008) and Bangladesh Medical College, Dhaka (since 1998). After four years of stay at Max, he returned to Fortis Healthcare to resume his duties there as the chief cardiologist and the chairman of its Cardiac Sciences Division.

International Professional Associations

Dr. Ashok Seth is a member of Asian Pacific Society of Interventional Cardiology (APSIC) Board of Trusteesand SCAI Nominating Committee and sits on the advisory boards of ACC India, SCAI Interventional Fellows Institute (IFI), International Andreas Gruentzig Society (IAGS), E-Cypher, USA, Asia-Pacific Society of Interventional Cardiology (Singapore)and ERA Educational Trust and Medical College, Lucknow.

He holds the chair of the Indian chapter of the Organization of International Medical Video Interventional Program (IMVIP) and is the co-chairman of SCAI International Committee.

He is a voting selector of SCAI (MSCAI) Nominating Committee, Zonal Vice-President of Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology, associate director of TCT Scientific Sessions and the president of the Delhi branch of the Cardiological Society of India.

He is a founding member of Endovascular Intervention Society of India, Academy of TCT, New York and the SAARC Cardiac Society for Research, Training and Exchange of Expertise in Prevention and Treatment of Heart Disease in Asia.

He is a trustee of Indo-French Cardiovascular Foundation for Research, Education and Training in the field of Angioplasty and a former trustee of Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, USA. He has also served as the vice president of the Cardiological Society of India and as the chairman of the New Delhi branch of Indian Medical Association.

Legacy

Ashok Seth is credited with pioneering many cardiological techniques in the Asia Pacific region.

He is the first cardiologist in the region to perform an angioscopy and directional atherectomy.

He is reported to be the first to use Impella heart support device and Drug-eluting stents, Bioresorbable stents and thrombectomy devices in India.He is known to have contributed to the development of Bioresorbable Scaffold (BRS) Stent as a member of the Advisory Group.

The youngest person to receive a doctoral degree (Honoris Causa) from the Banares Hindu University, Seth’s tally of angioplasty and angiogram performances is noted by the Limca Book of Records as one of the highest in the world. He is known to perform Percutaneous Myocardial Laser Revascularization, reported to be among the few cardiologists in the World to perform the procedure.

Seth, who is reported to have contributed to reaching the treatment to the poor, is known to have involved in many research activities. His researches are documented by way of over 250 medical papers published in peer reviewed national and international journals.

Research Involvement

He has contributed chapters to 10 text books and has edited two text books on cardiology. He has also trained over 350 cardiologists in India and abroad and has performed demonstrations on advanced angioplasty techniques at over 400 international conferences and seminars in Singapore, Malaysia, Paris, China, Australia, Korea and Sri Lanka.

His live demonstrations have been transmitted via satellite during the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference in 2003 and 2007 and at the EuroPCR in 2003 and 2006.

Ashok Seth is involved with many scientific journals. He is a former Associate Editor of International Journal of Cardiology and sits on the editorial boards of Journal American College of Cardiology, Catheterization and Cardiovascular Intervention and Euro Intervention journals.Seth is the first Asian to be elected to the Board of Governors of Society of the Cardiac Angiographies and Intervention(USA).

He has been a member of the expert committee set up by the society for formulating the guidelines laid down by its position statement, Percutaneous Coronary Interventions Without On-Site Surgical Backup.He is a member of the expert committee of the Directorate General of Health Services under its Central Drugs Standard Control Organization.

He also serves as the chief coordinator of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research initiative, the NTMLI project for the indigenous manufacture of low cost drug-eluting stents within the country.

Awards and Recognitions

  1. Padma Shri, India
  2. Spain Order off Isabella The Catholic
  3. Padma Bhushan, India
  4. Fellow, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
  5. Fellow, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
  6. Fellow, Royal College of Physicians of London.
  7. Fellow, American College of Cardiology
  8. Fellow, European Society of Cardiology
  9. Fellow, Society of Cardiac Angiography and Intervention
  10. Fellow, Cardiological Society of India
  11. Fellow, International Medical Sciences Academy.
  12. Doctor of Science (DSc – Honoris Causa) from Banaras Hindu University
  13. Doctor of Science (DSc – Honoris Causa) from Aligarh Muslim University
  14. Doctor of Science (DSc – Honoris Causa) from Teerthanker Mahaveer University, Moradabad
  15. Doctor of Science (DSc – Honoris Causa) from Amity University
  16. Doctor of Letters (DLitt – Honoris Causa) from Jamia Millia Islamia University.
  17. Dudley Visiting Professor of the University of Birmingham
  18. Distinguished Service Award from the IMA Academy of Medical Specialties in 1994.
  19. Shresth Shree Award of the Delhi Citizens’ Forum For Civil Rights
  20. National Award for Outstanding Contribution to Society from the All India Khatri Mahasabha
  21. Andreas Gruentzig Award
  22. 20th Century Award for Achievement of International Biographical Centre, Cambridge
  23. Professional Excellence Award from the National Interventional Council of the Cardiological Society of India.
  24. Delhi Ratna Award from All India Conference of Intellectuals
  25. Indian Medical Association Distinguished Interventional Cardiologist Award
  26. Rotary Vocational Excellence Award
  27. IJCP Interventional Cardiologist of the Year Award in 2002
  28. IMA NDB Life Time Achievement Award
  29. DMA Medical Teachers’ Award.
  30. Felicitated by the World Heart Federation, the same year.
  31. DMA Legend in Interventional Cardiology Award of Delhi Medical Association
  32. Life Time Achievement Award at World Congress on Clinical and Preventive Cardiology (WCCPC2006)
  33. Lifetime Achievement Award of The Geriatric Society of India
  34. IMA-NDB Distinguished Service Award
  35. IMA Doctor’s Day Award
  36. IMA Magnanimous Award
  37. World Congress on Clinical and Preventive Cardiology 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award
  38. Sunday Indian and IIPM Mega Excellence Award
  39. WCCPGC-2009 Lifetime Achievement Award
  40. IMA Dr. K. Sharan Cardiology Excellence Award in 2009
  41. Mason Sones Award from the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, USA
  42. Atma Jyoti Award from the World Academy of Spiritual Science.
  43. Special Award from American Association of Cardiologists of Indian Origin (AACIO)
  44. Golden Pioneer of Interventional Cardiology Award from the Asian Interventional Cardiovascular Therapeutics
  45. Lifetime Achievement Award by Rotary Club of Delhi
  46. Vishisht Bihari Samman from the Bihar Shatabdi Utsav Aayojan Samiti
  47. DMA Vishisht Chikitsa Ratan
  48. Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh selected him as the Most Glorious Alumni in 2012.
  49. Doc N Doc-Gammex Saviour Award
  50. DMA Centenary Award

This is a Team Awaam work with inputs from Wikipedia

Published on: Feb 27, 2016 @ 11:13

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