In Memoriam: Sudhir Vinayak, 1958 - 2024
Sudhir was elected as WFUMB President in 2023 but sadly was never able to participate fully in this role owing to his illness.
Christian Nolsoe and Odd Helge Gilja contribution on behalf of WFUMB
Sudhir Vinayak was an internationally acknowledged expert and leader in the use of ultrasound. He was highly respected for his professional insight into medical imaging and in particular for his visionary impact on ultrasound.
Professor Vinayak was only the second MASU President of WFUMB and at the same time also President of MASU and ISR. A truly remarkable achievement that shows the respect he had in the world of medical imaging.
He was a pioneer in bridging the gap for ultrasound services to low-resourced areas of his homeland Kenya and he brought about implementation of sustainable solutions by educating midwives to perform obstetric ultrasound. This was achieved by means of innovative mobile technology systems in rural areas. A project that was carried out in collaboration with WFUMB and published in UMB.
We carry the memories of our dear friends with us in our hearts for life. Honor to Sudhir Vinayak´s memory and may he rest in peace.
Franca Meloni and Giovanna Ferraioli write on behalf of MASU
We have known Sudhir for a long time and have shared a long journey with him in the MASU.
He was a passionate radiologist with outstanding skills and exceptional at organizing and helping to raise the level of scientific knowledge in the Nairobi area where he worked and lived.
He organized several scientific conferences at the Aga Khan University Hospital, where he was the head of the radiology department. In these activities, he paid attention not only to the scientific content, but also to the human aspects, which meant consolidating existing friendships and making new ones aware that the human activity of a conference is the most important. After all, meetings are also about meeting people. He promoted the application of ultrasound imaging techniques in the hospital where he worked and encouraged his team to conduct research with experts from different countries.
Sudhir has been a pioneer in promoting telemedicine in Kenya and has led a program to train midwives to perform basic ultrasound to screen high-risk pregnancies in rural Kenya.
Sudhir was our supporting companion on the journey through Africa, through MASU. He was forward thinking, looking ahead, and that "ahead" included technological, social, and cultural improvements for MASU and the countries of the African continent.
He had the ability to make you feel part of a big family, uniting, advising, supporting, as only a true leader can do. We remember a beautiful moment of unity at a very successful MASU Congress he organized at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, when he arranged an amazing safari in a nearby National Park, having us sleep in a tent just opposite Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the thrill of opening the tent and seeing the majesty of the great mountain with its eternally snow-capped crater.
He will be missed by MASU and all of us, but we will keep his memory alive in our hearts and minds.
