Vijayalakshmi Deshamane | |
|---|---|
| Chairperson of [IIITDM Kurnool] | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1955 Kobal, Jewargi taluk, Kalaburagi, Karnataka, India |
| Education | MBBS, MS |
| Alma mater | Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences |
| Awards | Rajyotsava Prashasti, Padma Shri |
Vijayalakshmi Deshamane (born 1955) is an Indian oncologist surgeon from Kalaburagi; she has been honoured with the Padma Shri Award in 2025. [1]
She was born into a Madiga family in a slum in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, India, as one of eight children. Her father, Babu Rao Deshmane, worked as a labourer at MSK Mill, a textile mill, while her mother, Ratnamma, supported the family by selling vegetables, starting her day going door-to-door and later setting up her stall in the Gazipur area. [2]
Deshmane's early education began at Chakkargatta School in Gazipura, where she studied up to the seventh standard, followed by her high school education at Gangambika High School in the Kannada medium. She later pursued an MBBS from KMC and completed her MS from Bellary Medical College in 1984. Immediately after finishing her postgraduate studies, she joined Kidwai Memorial Cancer Hospital as a resident doctor. [3]
In 1994, Deshmane became the first woman professor at her institution and later went on to serve as dean, head of department, and director at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology. In 2016, while recovering from a heart attack, she was approached by BJP leader Anant Kumar to head the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research in Mohali, Punjab. Throughout her distinguished career, she earned numerous awards and accolades in Karnataka. [4] Even after retiring from surgical practice in 2015, Deshmane remained dedicated to public service by raising breast cancer awareness among the general public and serving as the president of Abalashrama, a shelter in Bengaluru that equips orphaned girls with essential life skills for self-sufficiency. [5] [6] [7]