Team innovation

Professor Dhananjaya Sharma

I am Retired Professor and Head of the Department in Department of Surgery, Government Medical College and Allied Hospitals, affiliated to MP Medical Sciences University, Jabalpur (MP), India. For last many years, I am increasingly drawn to “Global Surgery” and am trying to contribute to finding low-cost surgical solutions to achieve health equity for underserved populations. I am committed to lifelong activism and campaigning for ‘appropriate technology for health-care in developing world’ which is need based for local population, available at grass root levels, affordable, cost-effective, provides value-for-money, easy to maintain, sensitive to cultural-social-religious difference in society, understood by locals and involves locals in its co-creation. I consider myself truly blessed to be able to ‘make a difference’ by working in resource-poor setting for last three and half decades. It has been a privilege to have been a life-long worshiper of Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge) and do God’s work, even though I don’t wear a Priest’s collar.

I have learned during my travels as Visiting Professor/ Guest Faculty for teaching a course to many universities in developed (including the iconic Karolinska Institute, Stockholm Sweden and Oxford University) and developing countries, that:

Cost of health-care technology has been spiraling up alarmingly, and even developed countries have to tighten their budgetary belts to cope with this extra expenditure. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln: ‘equitable health for all is the unfinished business of democracy’ and all of us have to contribute to achieve this ideal scenario.
Surgeons working in developing countries are the major stakeholders in this new science of ‘Global surgery’, as we have a 'lived-in' experience of working in resource-constrained atmosphere. My assignment as Honorary Convener of SAARC Surgical Care Society’s Global Surgery Initiative and Outreach program is helping me to join hands and synergistically work with other colleagues in this emerging field.
Key to Global Surgery is not only innovations for low-cost surgery but also collaboration and cosmopolitan internationalism; because ‘Global means together’ and ‘teamwork means dreams work’. If we don’t do it – together – with a missionary zeal – and with our collective wisdom – then no one will.
A call to Global Surgery is a combination of vocation, faith and missionary zeal.
Leadership in the new exciting field of ‘Global Surgery’ means having the ability to glide between cultures and gently guide people to consensus for the common good.

I have been privileged to be awarded Honorary Membership/ Fellowship of Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand, Académie Nationale de Chirurgie France, International College of Laparoscopic Surgeon, Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Global- und Tropenchirurgie Germany and Académie Nationale de Medicine France as well as Ad Eundem fellowships all four Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland. I am very proud of these academic achievements and wear these as badges of honour. However, the ultimate reward I earned is spiritual; as the twin principles of ‘Compassion’ and “Noblesse oblige” have become the codes of honour for my heart.

Hence I teach and preach the following two mantras:

“Becoming smart and skilful is not the end, but means to do more for the underprivileged.”
“Modern technology has made surgery safe, our mission is to use science to make surgery low-cost so it can be used safely in austere circumstances: to devise an affordable operative technique for every purse and purpose.”

My philosophy can be summed up by my favourite quotation:

“Attitudes are more important than abilities; and character is more important that cleverness”.

Professor Dr. Dhananjaya Sharma

MBBS, MS, PhD, DSc

FRCS (Glasgow, Ireland, Edinburgh, England)

FCLS (Hon), FRCST (Hon), FRCS Glasgow (Hon)

Honorary Member Académie Nationale de Chirurgie France

Honorary Member Académie Nationale de Médicine France

Honorary Member Deutsche Gesellschaft für Global- und Tropenchirurgie Germany

Head, Department of Surgery (Retd)
NSCB Government Medical College
Jabalpur (MP) India 482 003
Email : dhanshar@gmail.com

Twitter: <@Dhananjayasha19>

Professor Pawan Agarwal

I am Professor and Head of Plastic Surgery Division at NSCB Government Medical College, Jabalpur (MP) INDIA 482 003. I was privileged to establish the Plastic Surgery unit in Jabalpur in July 1999 and have performed many surgical procedures in the field of plastic surgery for the first time in Central India: extremity replants, brachial plexus surgery, micro-neural surgery and free flaps.

My training included: Fellowship Hand Surgery Stanley Medical College Chennai India, Short term Research Scholar Hand Surgery division, Department of Surgery University of Michigan USA and Fellowship in Micro-vascular surgery at Chang Gung Memorial hospital Taiwan.

I am Director of Smile Train Project (USA) – a well-known philanthropic work for patients of cleft lip and palate. In last 20 years more than 6000 patients of cleft lip and palate were operated free of cost. I have been involved in philanthropic work with various deformities and over the years more than 4000 patients have been operated free of cost in > 60 free operative camps.

My work has been recognized by various awards: Best PG paper award (1993) at State conference of Association of Surgeons of India, Sushil Jhawar award (2008) for best paper presented in young scientist category State conference of Association of Surgeons of India, R N Sinha (best paper award published in Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery) given by Indian Association of Plastic Surgeons, B C Roy Award (2014) of MP State Indian Medical Association and Peet prize (best original work done in the year) in National Conference of Association of Plastic Surgeons of India 2017; and Fellowship of Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow (2017).

I think of myself as an innovator, an experimentalist, a thinking surgeon and willing to take challenges to develop techniques for unsolved problems.

My motto:

“Difficulties are fuel for brain and our biggest opportunities”

Dr. Pawan Agarwal
MBBS, MS, M.Ch, FRCS (Glasgow)
MNAMS, DNB, PhD, FICS

Head, Division of Plastic Surgery
Department of Surgery
NSCB Government Medical College
Jabalpur (MP) India 482 003
Email : drpawanagarwal@gmail.com

Dr. Reena Kothari

I am Professor in Department of Surgery at NSCB Government Medical College, Jabalpur (MP) INDIA 482 003. I am passionate towards Minimally Invasive Surgery with Laparoscopic training from Sir Gangaram Hospital New Delhi, and SGPGI Lucknow. I was privileged to start minimally-invasive surgery for Buerger’s Disease of upper and lower limbs for the first time in Central India. I have developed ‘Finger assisted laparoscopic surgery’ as an extension of our philosophy of low-cost surgical solutions rather than using more ports.

I realized the basics of surgery ie, suturing and knotting are the applied version of my childhood arts and craft skills like knitting, sewing, tatting, etc. Transposing ideas from these crafts allowed me to innovate and develop new easier extra-corporeal knotting technique as well as secure method of abdominal wall closure in high-risk patients.

All through my career, my motto has been:

“You just need a proper set of eyes to get that needle from the stack of hay!”

Dr. Reena Kothari
MBBS, MS, FMAS, FIAGES, PhD

Professor
Department of Surgery
NSCB Government Medical College
Jabalpur (MP) India 482 003
Email : reena.kothari00@gmail.com

Professor Vikesh Agrawal

I am Professor and Head of Department of Pediatric Surgery at NSCB Government Medical College, Jabalpur (MP) INDIA 482 003. I am a Pediatric Minimal Access Surgeon and Pediatric Urologist. I am passionate about improving the quality of life of children born with congenital defects. I believe that all children deserve a chance at a better life, regardless of economic and geographic boundaries.

I am a graduate and a postgraduate from Jabalpur Medical College and earned my specialty degree of MCh in Pediatric Surgery from KEM Hospital, University of Mumbai in 2005. I was a visiting scholar in Pediatric Urology, at university of Michigan USA under Professor David Bloom. I have been Secretary of two most prominent associations in India of Pediatric Urology and Pediatric Minimal Access Surgery.

My focus is on learner-oriented training, heuristic-centered research and user-friendly innovations in pediatric surgery. I strongly believe that innovation is the result of 'surgical youthquake'. When one comes across a problem, then to change is to rise and to despair is to perish.

Professor Vikesh Agrawal
MBBS, MS, M.Ch (Pediatric Surgery)
Head, Division of Pediatric Surgery

Department of Pediatric Surgery
NSCB Government Medical College
Jabalpur (MP) India 482 003
Email : drvikeshagrawal@gmail.com

Dr. Jitin Bajaj

I am Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at NSCB Government Medical College Jabalpur. This institute is fortunately also my alma mater in terms of postgraduate MS training. My MCh neurosurgical training was from SMS Medical College Jaipur and my fellowship training in Epilepsy and Functional neurosurgery from AIIMS Delhi. My academic credentials include being the winner of the MP State-level Neuroquiz 2006 and authoring three books: 'Differential Diagnosis in Neurology and Neurosurgery' (CBS publishers), 'Rehabilitation in Neurotrauma: Current concepts, practices, and recommendations’, and 'Neuroendoscopic Surgery - A Comprehensive Approach', along with numerous book chapters and journal articles. I currently serve as Assistant Editor of the 'Indian Journal of Neurosurgery' and 'Journal of Peripheral Neurosurgery', and previously served as Assistant Editor of 'Neurology India'.

I have secured an extramural and an intramural research grant, and several travel grants. My research interests encompass surgical and biotechnical innovations in neurotrauma, endoscopic neurosurgery, brain tumors, epilepsy, spasticity, pain, and movement disorders. We spearheaded the establishment of the first functional neurosurgery services in Central India. Notably, our department has developed low-cost surgical simulators for endoscopic neurosurgery training.

Dr. Jitin Bajaj
MBBS, MS, M.Ch Neurosurgery
Professor, Neurosurgery
NSCB Govt. Medical College, Jabalpur- 482003
Email: bajaj.jitin@gmail.com

Dr. Sanjay Kumar Yadav

I am a dedicated Breast, Thyroid, and Endocrine Oncosurgeon with a passion for advancing cancer care, surgical innovation, and medical education. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor and Unit In-charge of Breast and Endocrine Surgery at NSCB Medical College, Jabalpur, I have been actively involved in pioneering efforts to improve breast cancer care in resource-limited settings.

Born on August 15, 1987, in India, I pursued my MBBS from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, followed by MS in General Surgery from Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, and MCh in Endocrine Surgery from Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow. My academic journey has been enriched by several national and international fellowships, including the ACS/ASBrS International Scholar Award (2025), SSO-BSSO Observer Fellowship (2024), and the Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons (FACS, 2023).

Over the years, I have dedicated my career to low-cost surgical innovations, intraoperative lymph node evaluation, and evidence-based breast cancer care, particularly in underserved regions. My research contributions include over 150 publications in high-impact international journals, and I actively mentor postgraduate trainees who have received accolades in global surgical conferences. I have been privileged to present my work at esteemed platforms, including the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, the Oxford University Global Surgery Group, and the Association of Breast Surgeons, UK.

Apart from my clinical and academic roles, I serve as the Editor-in-Chief of the Indian Journal of Endocrine Surgery and Research, and hold leadership positions in various surgical societies, including Vice-Chair of the Membership Committee of the Society of Surgical Ergonomics (USA), Executive Committee Member of the Asian Society of Mastology, and Secretary of the Jabalpur Chapter of the Association of Surgeons of India.

My ongoing efforts include establishing a Breast and Endocrine Surgery Department at NSCB Government Medical College in Jabalpur, conducting a Randomized Controlled Trial (DRAFT) on post-thyroidectomy drainage, and leading a systematic review on implant-based whole breast reconstruction using low-cost synthetic mesh. I am also spearheading studies on Microwave Ablation for thyroid nodules under local anesthesia and intraoperative lymph node evaluation for breast cancer.

Beyond my professional pursuits, I remain committed to global surgical education and capacity building. My vision is to develop standardized, collaborative, and cost-effective breast cancer care models to bridge the gap in oncologic surgery, ensuring that even the most underprivileged patients have access to cutting-edge treatment.

Dr. Sanjay Kumar Yadav
MBBS, MS, M.Ch (Breast and Endocrine Surgery), FACS, FSSO
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery
NSCB Govt. Medical College, Jabalpur- 482003
Email: sky1508@gmail.com