HYDERABAD: Dr Raghu Ram Pillarisetti, director, KIMS- Ushalakshmi Centre for Breast Diseases and founder CEO of Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation, features in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honours List 2021 published in the “London Gazette” – the official publication of the Crown.
With Queen Elizabeth II honouring Dr Raghu Ram with OBE- Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire– one of the highest ranking orders of the British Empire award, he has become one of the youngest surgeons of Indian origin conferred with an OBE.
At the age of 54, Dr Raghu Ram has received the second highest ranking OBE award (excluding a knighthood/damehood) conferred in recognition of his outstanding services towards improving breast cancer care and surgical education in India and to UK/India relations.
The British Honours system aims at showing gratitude publicly to those who have ‘gone the extra mile’ in their service and who stand out ‘head and shoulders’ above others in their distinction.
Some of the well-known names who received an OBE in the recent times include Om Puri (actor), Prof. Michael Griffin - president, The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, David Beckham (sports), Ben Stokes (vice-captain, England cricket team), Victoria Beckham (fashion), JK Rowling (author-Harry Potter series), Kiera Knightley (actor), Damon Albarn (musician) and others.
Dr Raghu Ram Pillarisetti said,“ I am deeply grateful and incredibly humbled to accept this high honour conferred by Her Majesty, the Queen. For well over a decade, I have strived to replicate the best of British practices in my motherland and feel immensely proud to be a ‘living bridge’ between the UK and India.”