Inspiring Journey of Dr SI Padmavati: India’s First Female Cardiologist
Before she became the undisputed “Godmother of Indian Cardiology,” Dr. Sivaramakrishna Iyer Padmavati’s life was defined by sheer survival. Born in June 1917 in Burma (now Myanmar), her brilliance was evident early on. She pursued her MBBS at Rangoon Medical College, distinguishing herself as the top graduate of her class. However, just as she was preparing to begin her clinical career, the devastating Japanese invasion of Burma during World War II in 1942 upended her life. Forced to abandon everything, she and her family fled the warzone, enduring a grueling and perilous journey to seek refuge in India. Her medical ambitions were put on a forced hiatus, but the setback only fueled her unmatched determination.
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Mentored by Giants on the Global Stage
Once the war concluded, Dr. Padmavati refused to let her displacement define her future. She traveled to the United Kingdom, where she earned her FRCP from London and FRCPE from Edinburgh. Her relentless pursuit of excellence then took her to the United States. At Johns Hopkins University, she trained under the legendary Dr. Helen Taussig (pioneer of pediatric cardiology and co-developer of the Blalock-Thomas-Taussig shunt) and later studied at Harvard Medical School alongside Dr. Paul Dudley White, the founder of modern preventive cardiology. Despite having the opportunity to build a lucrative career in the West, Dr. Padmavati chose to bring her world-class expertise back to a newly independent India in 1952.
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Building Indian Cardiology from Scratch
When she joined Lady Hardinge Medical College in Delhi, cardiology was not yet recognized as an independent medical specialty in India. Undeterred, Dr. Padmavati established North India’s very first catheterization laboratory and India’s first exclusive cardiology clinic. She was a visionary institution builder, founding the All India Heart Foundation in 1962 and the National Heart Institute in 1981. A recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, her discipline was legendary; she swam daily to maintain her fitness and continued consulting patients and interpreting ECGs at the National Heart Institute until she was 103 years old. Passing away in 2020 due to COVID-19 complications, Dr. Padmavati left behind a legacy that transformed the cardiovascular landscape of an entire nation.
