Vera Hingorani (23 December 1924 – 23 April 2018) was an Indian obstetrician and gynaecologist who served as Professor and Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. She was a Fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and received the Padma Shri in 1984.
Early life and education Hingorani was born on 23 December 1924 in Bubak to Tecklaand Hotchand and Lilawati. She studied medicine at Lady Hardinge Medical College, graduating in 1947. After completing her medical education, Hingorani specialised in obstetrics and gynaecology.
Career Hingorani began her medical career at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi, in 1947–48 and subsequently worked at Clara Swain Mission Hospital, Bareilly, from 1948 to 1949. She later undertook senior residency and further training in obstetrics and gynaecology in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.
In 1959, Hingorani joined the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, as Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She became Associate Professor in 1966, Associate Professor and Head of the department in 1972, and Professor and Head in 1975, a position she held until 1987.
Her academic work included clinical research and publications in obstetrics, gynaecology, contraception and reproductive health. She also served as Clinical Director of Gynaecology at the World Health Organization and was associated with the Indian Council of Medical Research as principal investigator and officer-in-charge of its Human Reproduction Research Centre in New Delhi. She served as honorary gynaecologist and obstetrician to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Pratibha Patil. She became a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1966 and a Fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences in 1975.
She subsequently joined Batra Hospital and Medical Research Centre, New Delhi, where she worked until 1996, and returned to AIIMS in 1997 as a consultant.
Selected publications
Awards and honours
Padma Shri – Government of India, 1984 Fellow, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists – 1966 Fellow, National Academy of Medical Sciences – 1975 Honorary Fellow, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists – 1977
Personal life Hingorani was married to I. B. Hingorani and lived in New Delhi.
Death Hingorani died in Houston, Texas, on 23 April 2018, at the age of 93.
Legacy The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, awards the Prof. V. Hingorani Medal in Obstetrics and Gynaecology to the best clinical resident in the department.
See also
All India Institute of Medical Sciences
References