PROFILE OF DR DEEPRAJ BHANDARKAR

Dr Deepraj Bhandarkar is a laparoscopic and gastrointestinal surgeon attached to P. D. Hinduja National Hospital, Sir Hurkisondas Nurrotumdas Hospital and Motiben Dalvi Hospital in Mumbai.

He completed his undergraduate studies from Grant Medical College (1981 - 1987) and surgical residency from J. J. Hospital, Mumbai (1988 - 1991). In 1990, during his residency, Dr Bhandarkar participated in the first-ever laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) performed in India and since then developed a keen interest in this upcoming speciality. Subsequent to his residency in India he obtained extensive training in laparoscopic and gastrointestinal surgery in England from 1992 to 1997. In 1997, he was awarded the prestigious "Travelling Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow" to visit the Royal Brisbane Hospital, Australia and train further in advanced laparoscopic surgery. The same year he also obtained the ‘Diploma in Laparoscopic Surgery’ from University of Strasbourg, France.

He returned to India in 1997 and started active clinical practice exclusively dedicated to laparoscopic surgery. To learn about the newer developments in the field, he visited Mount Sinai Hospital, New York in 2002.

Considered a national expert in the field of laparoscopic surgery, Dr Bhandarkar routinely performs laparoscopic operations for gallstones, appendicitis, all types of hernias (inguinal, femoral, incisional, paraumbilical), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), achalasia cardia, diseases of the small and the large intestine as well as complex laparoscopic procedures for diseases of the spleen and the adrenal glands. He was one of the first few surgeons in India to practice the technique of Subfascial Endoscopic Perforator Surgery (SEPS) -a revolutionary endoscopic treatment for varicose veins.

Dr Bhandarkar firmly believes that the benefits of laparoscopic surgery should be passed on to one and all irrespective of the socioeconomic status. He thus strives to make his services and laparoscopic expertise available to patients from all strata of the society and from all parts of the country.

His mission is to help other surgeons train in this speciality and with that goal he actively participates in conferences and training workshops around the country. Being a keen academic, he has to his credit over fifty-five publications and has given more than hundred and fifty presentations and invited lectures at national and international conferences. He has authored a book titled “A primer of laparoscopic surgery’. He has been the past Associate Editor of Indian Journal of Surgery and is currently the Editor of Journal of Minimal Access Surgery –the only English-language publication from the Asia-Pacific region dedicated to the speciality. He regularly writes for the lay press and conducts lectures to increase public awareness about the speciality of laparoscopic surgery.

He can be reached at deeprajbhandarkar@hotmail.com and is happy to respond to queries related to any aspect of laparoscopic surgery.