Gauthamadas Udipi

Gauthamadas Udipi

Dr. Gauthamadas receiving the "Most Trusted Neuro-Psychiatrist of the year" award

Gauthamadas Udipi is a professor of psychiatry, specialist in Neuro Behavioual Medicine, expert in psycho-social interventions in disasters, educator, and renowned psychiatrist ^[1][2][3][4] in Chennai, India. He has been conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award^[5] by the Indian Medical Association, the largest single body of doctors in the world, for his contribution to psychosocial interventions in disasters, public awareness on mental health, medical education, and service to the community.^[6] He has been honoured with the Most Trusted Neuro-Psychiatrist of the year Award at the Pan-India Rising Leadership Awards Gala in 2017. Dr. Gautham is acclaimed as an expert in disaster mental health response (Watch the video on the right). Doc Gautham's Neuro Center, the neuro-behavioural medicine clinic, founded by him in 1988, was ranked 15th among Neuroscience Centers in South India, and 7th in the metropolis of Chennai, by the Times of India National Hospital Survey 2017.

Accolades

• Bestowed Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Medical Association, for contribution to psychosocial interventions in disasters, public awareness on mental health, medical education, and service to the community.^[7]

• Bestowed "Most Trusted Neuro-Psychiatrist of the year" by the APS Rising Leadership Awards 2017

• Clinic, ranked 15th among Neuroscience Centers in South India, and 7th in Chennai, by the Times of India National Hospital Survey 2017.

• Awarded the International Toothed Wheel Prize by the Rotary Club of Salzberg for the best environment protection project in the world - 1992.

• Invited by the Government of India to form part of an expert group to draft the National Disaster Management Guidelines – Psychosocial Support and Mental Health Services in 2007, and to review the draft Guidelines in 2008.

• Invited by the World Heath Organization to serve as resource person, from India, for the Early Childhood Care and Development program in developing countries - 1993 to 1996.

• Invited by the Child-to-Child Trust, London to serve as Honorary Director of the Child-to-Child South India Resource Group, 1996 to 1999, overseeing and auditing projects in South India.

• Featured in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mission 2009 document.^[8]

• His work said to have been instrumental in shaping the Sri Lanka government's Disaster Management Road Map. ^[9][10]

• Handbook for Community Counselor Trainers^[11] cataloged by the Library of Congress,USA ^[12] and National Library of the Government of India ^[13]. It is recommended by the Disaster Risk Management Team of UNDP and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and forms part of the government of India's Disaster Risk Management Program toolkit for "Mainstreaming Disability in Disaster Management."^[14] It is recommended by the Australian Disability and Development consortium ^[15] The handbook is one of the recommended material by the Association for Development of Education in Africa.^[16] The book has been translated into Japanese^[17] and has been used for counselling the traumatised survivors of Japan's worst-ever disaster (combined earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear leak) of 2011. It has also been translated into Romanian.^[18] and used to cousel survivors of the great Romanian earthquake.

Contribution to psychosocial interventions in disasters

Dr. Gautham has been acclaimed as an expert in disaster psychosocial response.^[19] His work has left a mark on the psychosocial intervention in disasters and especially in involvement of women survivors in disaster mitigation.^[20] He is credited with using the term Community Counselor to refer to survivors from disaster affected communities who are utilized to provide counseling to traumatized fellow survivors ^[21] and creating an army of Community Counselors to assuage the sufferings of 100,000 survivors of the super tsunami of 2004.

In the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami Dr. Gautham decided to lend his expertise to alleviating trauma of the disaster stricken.^[22][23][24] Taking charge as director of the disaster management psycho-social intervention program of the National Lutheran Health and Medical Board, he set up the Academy for Disaster Management Education, Planning, and Training (ADEPT)^[25].

Using the Comprehensive Framework for Psychosocial Intervention in disasters^[26], propounded by Dr. Gautham, ADEPT brought about "Social Transformation" in the tsunami affected community.^[27][28] This model was successfully implemented ^[22] in 51 tsunami-affected villages in the Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu,^[29] 156 quake affected villages in Kashmir,^[30][31][32] and flood affected villages in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.^[33]

Dr. Gautham was instrumental in creating a 1000-member strong Disaster Preparedness Youth Task Force in 50 tsunami affected villages in Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu.^[23][34] His views on designing the health care disaster relief team feature in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mission 2009 document.^[35]

One of his unique programs was to link communities affected by disasters so that disaster relief and preparedness knowledge may be shared.^[36][37]

His team has the distinction of being the only group offering medical relief to quake survivors during the deep winter in Indian Kashmir.^[38][39][40]

Dr. Gautham organised five international workshops, the reports of which have been widely circulated^[41] and are said to have been instrumental in shaping the Sri Lanka government's^[41] Disaster Management Road Map.^[42][43] The National Disaster Management Authority of India invited him to review the draft of National Disaster Management Guidelines – Psychosocial Support and Mental Health Services and incorporated his suggestions into the final document.

Status papers on "Social Transformation of Communities Affected by Natural Disasters" and "Psychosocial intervention in complex disasters" by Dr. Gautham, helped to implement recovery in the tsunami-affected communities.^{[44][45][46][47][48]} The training module for creating "community support leaders" developed by Gautham helped transform educated unemployed women in disaster-affected regions into community leaders who were respected and looked up to.^[49][50]

His model for crisis intervention in large-scale disasters using "lay community counsellors"^[51] was used to set up the Community Counselor project in which 2500 villagers of 51 tsunami-affected villages in Cuddalore district were trained as lay community counsellors and provided succor to nearly 100,000 villagers affected by the trauma of the tsunami.^[52][53]

Dr. Gautham's Handbook for Community Counselor Trainers^[54] is widely acclaimed and:

• cataloged by the Library of Congress,^[55]
• catalogued by National Library of the Government of India ^[56]
• cataloged by UNHCR's Humanitarian Library
• catalogued by the Tamil Nadu Government Library.^[57]
• recommended by the Disaster Risk Management Team of UNDP and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India
• forms part of the government of India's Disaster Risk Management Program toolkit for "Mainstreaming Disability in Disaster Management."^[58]
• recommended by the Australian Disability and Development consortium ^[59]
• quoted in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mission 2009 document on the "Tsunami threat in the Pacific,"^[60]
• quoted in the internationally acclaimed Community Based Psychosocial Services in Humanitarian Assistance Facilitators Guide.^[61]
• one of the materials recommended by the Association for Development of Education in Africa.^[62]
• has been translated into Japanese^[63] and has been used for counselling the traumatised survivors of Japan's worst-ever disaster (combined earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear leak) of 2011.
• has been translated into Romanian^[64] and used to counsel survivors of the earthquakes in Romania

Dr. Gautham was invited in 2007 by National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India to be member of an expert group tasked with formulating the first ever Disaster Management Guidelines on Psychosocial Support and Mental Health Services in Disasters, for the country. The draft of the guidelines was reviewed by Dr. Gautham in 2008  and the guidelines were  launched by the government in December 2009, wherein he is acknowledged as a significant contributor (p80).^[65].

Contribution to public awareness on mental health

Dr. Gautham is sought by the media for his crisp, clear, and easily understandable talks and articles on various aspects of mental health.

On 6 Dec 2015 he addressed the populace of the city of Chennai that was devastated on 2 and 3 Dec 2015 by the worst floods of the century. His hour long telecast dealt with how to handle the grief of the loss and build confidence.^[66]

In 2015 and 2016 he has featured regularly on live, hour long, phone in TV talk shows in Tamil on various mental health issues, including Depression, Anxiety, stress, Learning Disorders, Autism, ADHD, Coping with disasters in life, Dealing with grief, and Confidence building etc., reaching out to the Tamil diaspora worldwide.

His articles have appeared in various Tamil ^[67] and English newspapers including the Times Group,^[1] The New Indian Express,^[2] India Today ^[3] and The Hindu.^{[4][68][69][70][71][72][73][74]}

He featured in 24 interview articles by Suzy Fontes and Adarsh Madhavan between 2000 and 2004 in the weekly Thursday Magazine published by the Times of Oman.

His popular Q & A column appeared in the weekly supplement the popular Tamil daily தினகரன் (Dhinakaran)வசந்தம் (Vasantham) between 2010 and 2013.

His most informative column on parenting and handling teens," ஏக் தோ டீன் (Ek Tho Teen)" appeared in the bi-monthly magazine தோழி (Thozhi) published by the popular Tamil daily தினகரன் (Dinakaran) in 24 consecutive publications. It was so popular that it was compiled into a Teenage Parenting Handbook ஏக் தொ டீன், டீன் ஏஜ் குழந்தைகளின் பெற்றோருக்கு வழிகாட்டி by சூரியன் பதிப்பகம். His articles have also appeared regularly in விகடன் (Vikatan).

Dr. Gautham has trained officers in the Tamil Nadu Police Service on mental health issues and also written a book on Applied Psychology for Police Officers, published by Tamil Nadu Police Training Academy.

He has trained teachers on child behaviour and development and written a book Applied Child Development for Pre Primary Teachers published by Annamalai University.

He has educated the public on Disaster Mental Health and written a book Disaster Management published by the Christian Institute of Management.

His popular appearances on the large reach Tamil language Jaya TV channel, to deliver informative tips about mental illness and mental health ran for nearly four years (2008 to 2012) with more than 180 appearances covering all aspects of mental health and disorders.

Dr. Gautham has appeared on Indian television alongside prominent personalities. He has done live phone-in Q & A programs on local TV channels.

Contributions to Education

Dr. Gautham was instrumental in starting up, developing, and establishing Departments of Mental Health in three medical colleges in South India. He set up the Child Behaviour and Development Clinic, at RMMC Hospital in 1989, which received recognition by the World Health Organization. The WHO invited him to serve as the sole resource person from India for the WHO Early Childhood Care and Development program in developing countries from 1993 to 1996.

He has authored the chapter on Behavioural Medicine in the Apollo Hospital Textbook of Medicine^[75]

Accredited as an associate faculty by the Open University Business School, UK, he taught People Management and Creative Management on their Executive MBA program in India from 1997 to 2003. During this tenure he had the distinction of being the only faculty from India to serve as a discussion leader in the worldwide (8000+ strong) online student discussion forum for four years running (2000 to 2004). He also served on its course material team between 2000 and 2004 and has contributed to developing updated course material.

Dr. Gautham helped to set up the post-graduate diploma in pre-primary education through distance education in 1990 and authored the course materials in applied child development for teachers.

In 1996, the Child-to-Child Trust, London, (which advocates for children’s active participation that links learning with living, and recognises children’s capacities as change agents) invited Dr. Gautham to set up the Child-to-Child South India Resource Group and serve as its honorary director, a post that he held till 1999 when the assignment of the group was completed. The group, composed of experts in the field, monitored, guided, and provided training for projects funded by the trust in South India.

Dr. Gautham was instrumental in getting the University of Madras to introduce concessions for students with learning disabilities in 2004.

The courses designed and taught by him at Uppsala University and California Lutheran University were trendsetters.^[76][77]

He has taught Psychology for Police Officers at the Police Training Academy, Chennai between 1997 and 2001.

A bilingual (English and Tamil) "Safety and Preparedness Coloring and Activity Book" for children to prepare them to face day-to-day crises and future disasters designed by Dr. Gautham has received appreciation by the Education Department of the government of Tamil Nadu.

Contributions to Community Service

Dr. Gautham has been contributing extensively to community well being since 1977 when, as a medical student, he became involved in Rotary International's German Measles immunization drive in Chennai.

A polio survivor himself, he was then involved in Rotary International's Polio Plus immunization in from its inception in 1979, till 1995. He probably has the international distinction of being the person who has himself administered the polio vaccine to the most number of children.

He has also actively provided pro-Bono service to free medical camps in various under privileged communities and villages since 1988 through the Adiparasakthi Cultural, Medical and Educational Trust, on a weekly basis. He has conducted numerous health camps for the rural underprivileged since 1990 in collaboration with Rotary Clubs. His community service has benefited tens of thousands of needy people.

Dr. Gautham has been campaigning for awareness on Learning Disorders, and was instrumental in introducing concessions for students with Learning Disability at Madras University in 2004, a provision that has benefited thousands of students.

He is passionate about Education of the Girl Child and has been facilitated sponsorship of education of more than 100 girls from disadvantaged backgrounds every year since 2004 in collaboration with various organizations.

An avid environmentalist he spearheaded the Environment Protection Project of Rotary clubs in Dist 323 between 1991 and 1994 for which he was awarded the International Toothed Wheel prize by Rotary Club of Salzberg for the best environment protection project in the world minus the Americas.

Academic achievements

Dr. Gautham is a Professor of Psychiatry and has served as Head of Department of Psychiatry / Mental Health in various Medical Schools since 2004. A Chennai-based psychiatrist, he has served on the academic councils of several universities and educational institutions ^[78] in India. He has served as Visiting professor to Universities in Sweden and USA.^[79][80][81] He has presented papers at several conferences, and conducted several National and International conferences, workshops and CME programs in his career of 30+ years.

References

External links

• Official website