Service to neurology

"It is a great pleasure and an honor for me for me to inform you that there is world-wide support for you as the awardee for the first medal... for your work for service to international neurology,” wrote Prof Johan Aarli, president of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) to Dr Noshir H. Wadia. The senior neurologist was recipient of the Service to International Neurology medal (one of the two prestigious medals instituted by WFN awarded at the 19th World Congress of Neurology held in Bangkok from October 25-30, 2009. The other medal is for Scientific Achievement in Neurology, as per a write-up on the e-mail received by Parsiana from Wadia’s secretary Asha Padiyar.

The WFN, founded in 1957, is an affiliation of over 100 national/world societies and associations, with several thousand neurologists. It actively promotes every aspect of that medical field at the international level. National societies were requested to nominate a neurologist worthy of this award and the Indian Academy of Neurology, of which Wadia is a member, sent in his nomination.

(Below, from l): Drs Johan Aarli, Noshir Wadia, Roger Rosenberg and Raad Shakir

Wadia, whom Aarli has referred to as the "father of contemporary Indian neurology,” has an impressive record. At the age of 32 he set up the department of neurology at the Sir J. J. Group of Hospitals in Bombay. At that time there were few specialists in this field in Asia and Oceana, as per the write-up. Within five years, in 1961, the department received recognition from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda for a collaborative project with the Massachusetts General Hospital and the first president, Van Bogaert invited Wadia to be a founder member of the Problem Commission of Tropical Neurology.

Wadia was at that time beset by paucity of funds and equipment. At first his only help while treating a sizable number of patients in an honorary capacity over a period of 25 years came from a medical registrar. Despite such constraints, he found the time to identify and document the prevalence of local and unique diseases to build up a neurological nosology (a branch of medical sciences which deals with the systematic classification of diseases), later documented in his book Neurological Practice: an Indian Perspective, which received laudatory reviews, the write-up relates. Through his teaching Wadia attracted many medical students to his specialty and he is now recognized as a mentor to more than 100 neurologists practicing around the world.

The caring physician, educator, role model, researcher and pioneer in the development of regional and international neurology is currently director, Department of Neurology and consultant neurologist for life of the J. J. Group of Hospitals, Grant Medical College (a gazetted special appointment). Wadia’s services to the disabled have been recognized globally and he is an elected fellow/member of national and international medical and scientific societies. His continuing service to WFN has been acknowledged by past presidents, the write-up reveals.