1pt none windowtext;">P. Venugopal is widely known as a pioneer in the field of organ transplantation in India. He introduced advanced Western concepts of cardiac surgery in the early 1970s at a time when it was largely trial and error even in premier institutes in India. He has more than 50,000 heart surgeries to his credit and has trained some of the best medical personnel in India and abroad. He was head of the cardiothoracic centre, dean and director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).