Born in Panambur, Karnataka, India. Married to Leena Kukkady. We have two daughters, Nehala and Aqeela and two grandsons

Schooling in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Panambur. India

Pre degree course at Govinda Dasa College, Surathkal, India

Best outgoing student of that college in 1978.

Represented College in Hockey and Volleyball for many years

Medical/Surgical Training

• MBBS, KMC Mangalore. University rank holder in all MBBS examinations
• Won Mysore University Gold Medal in Surgery
• Master of Surgery, (MS) from Mangalore University.
• Magister Chirurgeae, MCh (Post-doctoral masters in Paediatric Surgery), Calicut, Kerala. First in the Beary community to get this qualification

Travelled extensively and worked in various hospitals around the world including Sydney, Oxford, Los Angeles, Auckland, and Melbourne

FRCS (Edin), 1994. First in the Beary Community to obtain a Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons

International Fellowship in Paediatric Surgery at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, 1997

FRACS (Paediatric Surgery), 2003, First in the Beary Community to obtain a Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons

Currently Working as

• Paediatric Surgeon, Department of Paediatric Surgery, Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, and Tauranga Hospital, Tauranga, New Zealand.
• Was the Head of that department for over 10 years. Also work as paediatric surgeon in several private hospitals in those cities

Other Positions

• Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Auckland in Paediatric Surgery.
• Supervisor of Paediatric Surgical Training at Waikato Hospital
• New Zealand Representative to Committee (formerly Board) of Paediatric Surgery, RACS for the past 5 years
• Examiner in Anatomy for Paediatric Surgery, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
• Member of the Australasian Association of Paediatric Surgeons, New Zealand Society of Paediatric Surgeons (formerly Secretary) and Pacific Association of Paediatric Surgeons, Academy of Surgical Educators, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)

Presented papers at various National and International Conferences

Published many papers in international journals

Active in ongoing clinical research projects at Waikato Hospital.

Invited speaker at various institutions/meetings: Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences, Calicut, AJ Hospital, Mangalore, Rotary Meeting, Mangalore, AIMS meeting, Auckland.

Keynote speaker at New Zealand National Paediatric Surgical Nurses and Anaesthetic Technicians conference, Auckland, 2008 and at Project Management Institute of New Zealand Annual Conference, 2008

Invited guest for the combined meeting of Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand, Pattaya, 2010

Other Achievements

• The highlight of my career was the separation of Conjoined Twins in October 2004. These were the first such set of Conjoined Twins in Australasia
• Presented with a Judges Special Award in the Waikato DHB “Best of Health Awards”.
• My team was a finalist at the New Zealand Health and Innovation Awards, October 2007 in Wellington.
• The National Newspaper, The New Zealand Herald had chosen me as one of the “Top Ten New Zealanders of the Year” in 2004”
• Felicitation by Bharatiya Samaj Charitable Trust, Auckland in recognition of my contribution made to India-New Zealand links. Award presented by the Hon. Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mr John Key on 15 August 2010
• Selected by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons to lead a team to treat children in Samoa with surgical and urological problems. I did that last year and will be going again in June this year.