Prof. Hari Shankar Asopa graduated from S N Medical College, Agra and was in the faculty of his alma mater and later Professor and Head of Department of Surgery at MLB Medical College, Jhansi. There after he was Professor Emeritus at S N Medical College, Agra.
He is well known not only in Uttar Pradesh but all over the country and the world for his expertise in the field of surgery and also as a humanitarian doctor. He is extremely sympathetic to poor and downtrodden people of this region and serves a large number of poor patients free of cost.
Born in July, 1932, he had a brilliant career, stood first in MBBS from Agra University which at that time included Agra, Gwalior and Indore Medical Colleges. He received several medals including the Chancellors Medal and did his MS in Surgery (Agra), FRCS(England), FRCS(Edinburgh) all in the year 1964. He is a loved and respected teacher and has continued his passion for teaching by training Post MS Surgeons and runs a three year Post Graduate course of Diplomate National Board (DNB) in General Surgery and Family Medicine, accredited by National Board of Examinations of the Government of India.
He invented a one stage operation for Hypospadias, a congenital defect of penis and urethra in boys, one in every 250 – 300 boys are born with this defect. About forty thousand boys are born with this defect in India alone. This research was published in the Journal “International Surgery” in June 1971.
This Procedure known as Asopa Operation, was soon being done all over the world by Urologists, Paediatric Surgeons, Plastic and General Surgeons. Asopa Procedure found place in Articles, International Journals, International Reference and Textbooks.
In 1984 he published another operation for hypospadias titled “One Stage Repair of Hypospadias Using Foreskin Tube” which was a refinement of the original Asopa Operation and is called Asopa II Operation and later described in textbooks as Asopa Procedure 1990 Version.
An operation invented by Dr. Asopa in mid 1990’s for Stricture Urethra, published in the Journal “UROLOGY” in 2001 Elsevier Science Inc, Philadelphia, is being followed universally by Urologists worldwide and has made Urethral Stricture Surgery easy and safe to perform. It appears in Reference books and International journals. It has been popularized among Reconstructive Urologists in Europe and America as “Dorsal Inlay Urethroplasty” or “Asopa Technique”. Numerous articles have been written by Urologists from the University of Washington, USA, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK, Tanta University, Egypt, Nizam’s University of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Army Research & Referral Hospital, New Delhi, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy, Center for Reconstructive Urethral Surgery, Arezzo, Italy, BYL Nair Hospital and Topiwala National Medical College, Mumbai and several other Universities around the world recognizing this technique as a major advancement in Urethroplasty and its high success rate.
Yet another operation invented and published in 2002 in “The American Journal of Surgery” has made pancreatic surgery for cancer of pancreas safer.
Dr. Asopa has been invited to give talks on his operations in both national and international conferences. Lectures and films of his intricate operations are shown by other workers in international conferences and on websites. He has demonstrated these operations at workshops in over 50 institutions and pre conference workshops in India and abroad, where hundreds of General surgeons, Plastic Surgeons, Paediatric Surgeons and Urologists interact on close circuit television during the procedures.
Dr. Asopa has been awarded many prizes, memberships and fellowships including Col. Pandalai Oration in 1991, the most prestigious award of the Association of Surgeons of India. He received “Dr. B.C. Roy National Award” as Eminent Medical Teacher in 1991.
He was again awarded “Dr. B.C. Roy National Award” as “Eminent Medical Man” for the year 1996, both by the then Presidents of India. This award is given once a year to a medical man out of all medical faculty and disciplines in the country.
He has been honored with “HUNTERIAN PROFESSORSHIP” by The Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1997.
He received Col. Sangam Lal Oration and Gen. Amir Chand Oration both by National Academy of Medical Sciences of India and also The Asian Society of Paediatric Urology Oration in 2000 for outstanding contribution to Paediatric Urology.
Prof. Asopa served as National President of Association of Surgeons of India in 1996.
He was invited to be the Founder President of International Society of Hypospadias and Intersex Disorders of which he is now Honorary President. This society awards “ASOPA LECTURE” to eminent international authorities in its Biennial Conference.
Dr. Asopa is also known for his gentle behavior, sympathetic attitude towards the weaker sections of society and has been honored by various societies and social organizations.