Chandigarh:
DR. Premawas conferred the IAPS Oration Award for the year 2025 at the 51st Annual Conference and 60 years (Diamond Jubilee) Celebration of the Indian Association of Pediatric Surgeons, IAPSCON 2025 held at Swosti Premium Beach resort, Puri, Odisha recently for her pioneering research, exemplary mentorship, and distinguished service to the field of pediatric surgery.
Her topic for the oration was : “Pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction: Less common aspects and the role of imaging” . Pelvi-ureteric junction obstruction is a common pediatric urological problem causing incomplete or complete obstruction to the flow of urine from one or both the kidneys. It is diagnosed by ultrasonography and functional imaging. It is mostly due to an intrinsic obstruction which can be surgically corrected with excellent results. Rarely it is secondary to extrinsic obstruction from aberrant renal vessels.
Based on the vast experience in PGIMER, specific imaging features to preoperatively diagnose pelvi ureteric junction obstruction associated with aberrant vessels was described for the first time in literature thereby preventing any likelihood of injury to these vessels during surgery and preventing loss of renal tissue from ischemia. This as well as the imaging features and management of the extremely rare association of malrotation of kidney and extrarenal calyces with pelvi ureteric junction obstruction were highlighted in the oration.
DR. PREMA MENON, (MS, DNB, FRCS (England), M.Ch., FMAS, Certificate of Robotic console training) is Professor, in the Department of Pediatric Surgery, PGIMER, Chandigarh. She has shaped the career of over 100 M.Ch. trainees in Pediatric Surgery since joining PGIMER in 2002. Her clinical and research expertise spans a wide spectrum of pediatric surgical conditions including pelviureteric junction obstruction, posterior urethral valves, vesicoureteric reflux, anorectal malformations, Hirschsprungs disease, esophageal replacement, choledochal cyst, and pediatric thoracic surgery.
Her scholarly work includes over 205 publications with 14 book chapters and an h index of 25. Her research has been recognized with certificates of appreciation for high quality published work at PGIMER’s Annual Research Day in 2016 and 2018. She is a meritorious fellow of the Association of Minimal Access surgeons of India (FMAS) with a keen interest in pediatric laparoscopic and robotic surgery.
She has delivered over 60 CME lectures, chaired or judged over 50 scientific sessions and her work has been presented in 36 International Conferences, and 125 papers presented in National level conferences where her trainees have earned numerous awards. Her outstanding contributions have been earlier recognized by the IAPS-Purushottam Upadhyaya Research Foundation Gold Medal (2005) and the IAPS-Ethicon Travelling Fellowship Gold medal (2011).
