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Dr.B.Rajashekhar
Professor ( Sp.& Hg.) The longest serving

Founding / Former Dean Youngest Dean of the

Advisor for AHS Programs smallest College Dean of the biggest
MCHP College

A l l w hi le I wa s t h e y o un g es t D e a n o f
All while I was the youngest Dean of the i s e t o
t h e M a ni p a l G r o u p w hic h ga v e r
t h e s t a t em en t “ Yo un g es t D e a n o f t h e
sm a l les t C o l leg e” w hic h wa s
Manipal Group which gave rise to the
l a t er c h a n g e d in t o “ Th e lo n g es t
statement “Youngest Dean of the smallest
s er v in g D e a n o f t h e b ig g es t C o l leg e”.
College” which was later changed into “The
On e o f t h e b ig g es t h ur d les w e face d
longest serving Dean of the biggest College”.
ini t i a l l y wa s t h e co n cep t o f A l lie d
H e a l t h S cien ce b ein g v er y n e w t o t h e
p e o p le a s t h e y o n l y k n e w do c t o r s,
One of the biggest hurdles we faced initially
p h ysici a n s, s ur g e o n s, n ur s es, a n d
was the concept of Allied health science
p h a r m aci s ts. I t wa s a h um o n g o u s t Th e c ur r ic u l um wa s a l s o s o m et hin g
being very new to the people as they only a s k
f o r m e a n d m y t e a m t o exp l a in t o w hic h wa s a n i s s ue a s p e o p le did n o t
The curriculum was also something which was
knew doctors, physicians, surgeons, nurses,
e v er y b o d y, e v en in t h e c a m p u s an issue as people did not know about
I was born and raised in Chennai and Vellore Initially in 1976 when I joined the b e c a u s e p e o p le w er e n o t s ur e o f w h a t k n o w a b o u t p h ysio t h era p y o r o t h er
umongous task for
and pharmacists. It was a h
physiotherapy or other programs. The
is my hometown, which was earlier a part of department of ENT, which was then a exac t l y t hi s co l leg e wa s. W h o w er e w e p r og ra m s. Th e c ur r ic u l um i s di s c u s s e d
b y a g r o u p o f p e o p le w h o a r e u s u a l l y
me and my team to explain to everybody, even
curriculum is discussed by a group of people
Karnataka and is now in Kerala. I did my paramedical course that was attached to t ra inin g? A t t h e en d o f t h e d a y w h a t h e h e ad s o f t h e in s t i t u t io n s b ef o
in the campus because people were not sure t
who are usually the heads of the institutions r e i ts
schooling in Sainik School and my Kasturba medical college. All hospital-based do w e wa n t t h e s t uden ts t o b e? W h er e a p p r o va l . S o , e v er y t im e I di s c u s s e d
of what exactly this college was? Who were
before its approval. So, every time I discussed
graduation and post-graduation in All India courses were overseen by Kasturba Medical a r e t h e y g o in g t o b e p l ace d? W h a t a r e t h e c ur r ic u l um, t h e b a sic m e dic a l
t h e s t r e a m s t h a t t h es e p e o p le c a n
we training? At the end of the day what do we
the curriculum, the basic medical subjects like
Institute of Speech and Hearing at Mysore. I College which was the flagship. During that r e a l l y g et in t o? I h ad t o exp l a in t o s u b j e c ts li k e a n a t o m y, p h ysio log y a n d
t h e n um b er o f h o ur s w er e q ues t io n e d
want the students to be? Where are they going
anatomy, physiology
and the number of hours
moved to Manipal on October 24th of 1976 time, the students who enrolled used to be t h em t h a t if t h e m a n t ra i s g o in g t o b a s i t did n o t s e em r e le va n t t o t h em
to be placed? What are the streams that these e
were questioned as it did not seem relevant to
while doing my Ph.D. terminal degree from trained for a period of 2 -3 years either t o t a l w e l l b ein g o r w h o les o m e h e a l t h b e c a u s e o f t h eir l ac k o f a wa r en es s
people can really get into? I had to explain to
them because of their lack of awareness
the Mysore University again but was also receiving a certificate or a diploma. In 1933 i t i s n o t j u s t m e dic a t io n a n d s ur g er y, t o wa r d s a l lie d h e a l t h.
b u t a l s o r e h a b i li t a t io n a n d cer t a in
them that if the mantra is going to be total
working in Manipal by registering myself as Manipal became a deemed University. The 5 o t h er a l lie d h e a l t h fac t o r s w hic h towards allied health.
it is not just
wellbeing or wholesome health
an external Candidate. courses Bachelor of Physical Therapy, co n s t i t u t e 60% o f h e a l t h c a r e "One of the biggest
medication and surgery, but also rehabilitation
Occupational therapy, medical lab w o r k f o r ce in USA a n d g lo b a l l y w hic h
and certain other allied health factors which
From founding dean, to now being a former technology, speech and hearing and c a n b e h a n d le d b y u s. hurdles we faced initially
constitute 60% of healthcare workforce in US
dean of Manipal College of Health respiratory therapy were under the and globally which can be handled by us. was the concept of Allied
Professions, it has been 44 years since I have supervision or under the guidance of the
been working with the Manipal Group. I am Dean of the Kasturba Medical College and health science being very
proud to be the longest serving dean by Chancellor Dr. Ramdas Pai. He wanted to new to the people"
holding the dean post for almost 20 years boost the growth of Allied health professions
until 2019. I have still decided to be a part of that started the initiation of having a full-
this college as a professor in the fledged College of Allied health science in Th en I h ad t o de v i s e m y o w n s t ra t eg ies
t o s a y t h a t sin ce t h e y w i l l b e a l lie d
Then I had to devise my own strategies to say
Department of Speech and hearing and the year of 1998.
h e a l t h p r o f es sio n a l s, t h e y w i l l n e e d t o
that since they will be allied health
allied health program advisor by denying professionals, they will need to know the h ysio log y
k n o w t h e b a sics o f a n a t o m y, p
other prestigious posts as I have seen the The credit for establishing Allied health dep en din g o n t h eir s p e ci a l t y.
basics of anatomy, physiology depending on
college evolve from a baby, and now into college in the year 1999 December 4th goes
their specialty.
India’s largest Allied health College. to our Chancellor Ramdas Pai and for MAHE
when we branched out of KMC at that time, C O NTENT S