Dr. Mary Verghese was a pioneer of physical medicine and rehabilitation in India. She earned her medical degree from Christian Medical College in Vellore, India and initially trained in obstetrics and gynecology. In 1954 she was involved in a car accident that caused irreparable spinal injury, leaving her confined to a wheelchair. Rather than ending her medical career, her mentor, Dr. Paul Brand, taught her to operate on the hands of people with Hansen’s Disease, leading to her nickname the ‘Wheelchair Surgeon.’ After a course of rehabilitation in Australia and a fellowship at the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in New York, Verghese returned to India, where she founded the first physical rehabilitation institute at Christian Medical College. The rehabilitation institute established by her has since been named in her honor. Her work improved the lives of countless patients and changed attitudes toward disability, demonstrating that personal adversity can become a source of extraordinary professional purpose.
