Dr. Ramakanta Panda, often hailed as one of the world’s safest heart surgeons, began his journey in the quiet village of Damodarpur in Odisha’s Jajpur district. Born into a farming family, young Ramakanta grew up surrounded by nature and simplicity. His grandfather, a freedom fighter, and his strict yet supportive family instilled in him a strong sense of discipline and ambition.

As a child, Panda was deeply inspired to pursue medicine. A magazine cover story about the legendary American heart surgeon Dr. Denton A. Cooley sparked his fascination with cardiac surgery. “I remember seeing that feature and thinking, ‘This is what I want to do—save lives with my hands,'” he later recalled in interviews. Growing up in a rural area where doctors commanded immense respect, this dream took root early.

Panda excelled academically from the start. He attended Binod Bihari High School in Pritipur, Jajpur, and then pursued his pre-medical studies at BJB (Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar) College in Bhubaneswar. He completed his MBBS at SCB Medical College in Cuttack, Odisha, topping the university exams. Determined to specialize, he moved to New Delhi and joined the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the early 1980s.

At AIIMS, between 1980 and 1985, Panda pursued his postgraduate training in general surgery and then super-specialized in cardiovascular thoracic surgery (MCh). He was a standout student, topping his class once again. His early professional role was as a lecturer in Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgery at AIIMS from 1982 to 1987, where he balanced teaching with hands-on clinical work. “Those years at AIIMS were foundational,” he has said. “But I saw limitations—favoritism in opportunities frustrated me, and I wanted the best training possible.”

Craving world-class exposure, Panda cleared the tough USMLE exams and secured a fellowship at the renowned Cleveland Clinic in the USA. There, under the mentorship of Dr. Floyd Loop—a pioneer in bypass surgery—he underwent rigorous training. “What I learned in three years at AIIMS, I absorbed in months at Cleveland,” Panda reflected. “The volume, the precision—it was punishing but transformative.” He stayed on as associate staff for a couple of years, honing his skills in complex procedures.

He then spent time as a Senior Registrar at Harefield Hospital in the UK, training under the legendary Prof. Magdi Yacoub, one of the foremost cardiac surgeons and transplant specialists of the era.

By the late 1980s and 1990s, Panda had returned to India, bringing cutting-edge techniques like off-pump (beating heart) bypass surgery and total arterial revascularization—innovations he pioneered in the country. He worked at leading institutions, taking on high-risk and redo surgeries that others avoided, building a reputation for unflinching precision.

This foundation of humble beginnings, relentless excellence in education, and international mentorship shaped the surgeon who would later found the Asian Heart Institute in 2002 and earn the Padma Bhushan in 2010. Panda’s early career wasn’t just about degrees—it was a story of quiet determination, turning rural dreams into global impact, one steady heartbeat at a time.

Reflection

True expertise often blooms from modest soil. Dr. Panda’s path shows how inspiration, discipline, and a hunger for excellence can propel someone from a village farmland to the pinnacle of medicine—proving that the safest hands are forged through years of humble, unwavering pursuit.