Pioneer in Allied Health Education
Dr. B. Sendilkumar holds the rare distinction of having practiced two noble professions – Doctor and Academician. A Dentist by profession,
he started teaching simultaneously with his clinical practice after developing an inclination for it in his college days. Today, he is the Dean for Allied Health Sciences at Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (DU), Salem, with a student strength close to 2500 per year!
Sendil’s journey could well be an inspiration for the younger generation. Hailing from the beautiful temple city of Kanchipuram in India, he was born to a simple grocery storekeeper and brought up in a humble environment with his two siblings. He attended a government school with minimal facilities but never brooded over the not-haves. With high motivation to accomplish success, he strived hard to get a seat into one of the best Dental colleges in India, and succeeded.
After college, he became a Lecturer alongside his clinical practice of Dentistry. He identified Healthcare Operations, Quality Management, Medical Administration and Academic Leadership as his skills and kept strengthening them at every possible opportunity. When VMRF came calling, he did not hesitate to join them as the Founder Principal from Day 1 when they had just 15 students in the first year. Now that number crosses 2500 every year.
“I am indebted to Dr. A. Shanmugasundaram, Founder Chancellor of VMRF, whose life has always been my biggest inspiration; Madam Founder Mrs. Annapoorani Shanmugasundaram for bestowing me with her blessings; Dr. A.S. Ganesan, Honorable Chairman and Dr. Anuradha Ganesan, Director, for giving me the freedom to work,” says Sendil of his remarkable journey at VMRF.
When Sendil began the Degree programs in Allied Health courses almost 20 years back, there was no support from any of the stakeholders since not many people understood the future demand for Allied Health Professionals. Not one to be deterred, Sendil led the way with grit and faith. “Being the Head of an educational institution, my only strategy is to be student centric, which has placed our institute on the global map,” he tells us.
When Sendil’s passion became his profession, all his hard work bore fruit. “My vision then and now is to provide access to world class Allied Health education. It has been a wonderful and rewarding journey and I feel blessed to have played a small role in the upliftment of the lives of students, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds.”
The school of Allied Health Sciences is working in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). They focus towards empowering the rural youth and almost 50% of their students are from underdeveloped backgrounds. They give lots of scholarships to these students and support them in completion of the degree courses. All these students get employment opportunities even during their Internship period through VMRF’s industry connect.
Being a healthcare institution, they also organise a lot of awareness programs on various health conditions like Cancer, AIDS, and Ocular anomalies, thereby creating an impact on early diagnosis and prevention. They organise more than 100 events and healthcamps in a year and have distributed around 5500 free spectacles to the needy.
Over the years, Sendil has developed Perseverance, Patience and Proactiveness as key qualities to achieve success. Yet, he also feels blessed to have the support of a wonderful faculty and student body. “On the personal front, my biggest strength and support system is my ever loving and caring wife Dr. T. Priyamathi, BDS & MPH, and my most precious gift, my daughter Nethra. All my success and achievements are dedicated to my wife, encouraging parents, and supportive in laws,” he adds.
Humble beyond measure, Sendil’s accomplishments are innumerable. His interest towards Quality urged him to complete and be the very first medical professional to receive the black belt in Six sigma, Lead auditor in Educational Organization management system ISO 21001:2018, Quality Management System 9001:2015, Environmental Management systems 14001:2015, 45001:2015, and certified Environmental and Health Assessor of CII. He has been chosen as a District Sustainability Mentor by Mahatma Gandhi National Council for Rural Education, Govt. of India, based on his contributions towards achieving sustainability.
In addition, he has received 64 awards from different National and International Conclaves for Academic and Research contribution, Social Responsibility and Industry connect activities, and 35 awards for the college under his leadership. With more than two decades of rich experience in Academics, he has published 30 Research Papers and Articles, filed and published 12, and been a Guest speaker and Panelist in around 50 International and National events, making Dr. B. Sendilkumar an undeniable Pioneer.