Vaikunthan Rajaratnam
Hand Surgery, New Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK
Vaikunthan Rajaratnam, MBBS (Mal), AM(Mal), FRCS (Ed), FRCS (Glasg),
FICS (USA), MBA, Dip Hand Surgery (Eur), PG Cert MedEd (Dundee), FHEA (UK)
Email: vaikunthan@gmail.com
Dr Vaikunthan Rajaratnam graduated from the University of Malaya in 1980 with distinction in pathology and did his initial orthopaedic surgery training at the University of Malaya Medical Centre and later continued his advanced plastic, hand and microsurgery training in the UK and US.
He commenced his academic career at the University of Malaya in 1986 and later became a medical entrepreneur by setting up the first private trauma hospital in Malaysia. He maintained his academic affiliations with the UMMC as honorary consultant and progressed to develop hand surgery and public and physician education on health and medicine in Malaysia through his leadership involvement in numerous professional bodies like the Malaysian Orthopaeidc Association, Malaysian Society for the Surgery of the Hand, Malaysian Osteoporosis Society and the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Association. He founded a practice and program for holistic healthy ageing using comprehensive strategies of life style changes, nutrition and novel medical treatment.
The last decade has seen Dr Vaikunthan Rajaratnam working in the National Health Service in the UK as a senior Consultant Hand Surgeon in Birmingham UK with a subspecialty interest in peripheral nerve and brachial plexus surgery. His main focus recently has been in building the specialty of hand surgery in the UK and training surgeons. His research areas include the ageing hand and surgical training methodologies. He has developed a Masters program for Hand Therapy and MBA for doctors with the Birmingham City University.
New Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Teaching Hospital, University of Birmingham, UK
Dr Vaikunthan Rajaratnam furthered his skills sets by obtaining a MBA and has delivered his competencies for various management projects in the area of health care facility development, due diligence, merger and acquisition process in health care and medical fraud detection for the insurance agencies. His passion for teaching and education has taken him around the world to deliver workshop and lectures on surgery and surgical training. He continues on his life long journey as a learner and is currently doing his Masters in Medical Education at the University of Dundee, UK.
His areas of interest in medical educations is in CME using web 2.0 technology (http://www.handsurgerymanual.com/), e learning and outcome based and community orientated curriculum development.
Publications
- Old O, Rajaratnam V, Allen G. Traumatic correction of Linburg-Comstock anomaly: a case report. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2010 May;92(4):W1-3. [PubMed]
- Tan S, Power D, Rajaratnam V. Animal models for training in tendon surgery: sheep's forelimbs. J Hand Surg Eur Vol. 2010 Feb;35(2):152-3. [PubMed]
- Edwards S, Rajaratnam V. Digital video documentation as evidence of clinical skill acquisition. J Vis Commun Med. 2009;32(3-4):78-85. [PubMed]
- Khalid M, Theivendran K, Cheema M, Rajaratnam V, Deshmukh SC. Biomechanical comparison of pull-out force of unicortical versus bicortical screws in proximal phalanges of the hand: a human cadaveric study. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2008 Nov;23(9):1136-40. Epub 2008 Jul 22. [PubMed]
- Allen GM, Drakonaki EE, Tan ML, Dhillon M, Rajaratnam V. High-resolution ultrasound in the diagnosis of upper limb disorders: a tertiary referral centre experience. Ann Plast Surg. 2008 Sep;61(3):259-64. [PubMed]
- Cheema M, Mangat K, Holbrook N, Rajaratnam V. A biomechanical analysis of distraction force in modified hynes-Giddins dynamic external fixator. Ann Plast Surg. 2007 Sep;59(3):300-1. [PubMed]
- Theivendran K, Pollock J, Rajaratnam V. Proximal interphalangeal joint fractures of the hand: treatment with an external dynamic traction device. Ann Plast Surg. 2007 Jun;58(6):625-9. [PubMed]
- Nassab R, Kok K, Constantinides J, Rajaratnam V. The diagnostic accuracy of clinical examination in hand lacerations. Int J Surg. 2007 Apr;5(2):105-8. Epub 2006 Jul 7. [PubMed]
- Dias R, Chandrasenan J, Rajaratnam V, Burke FD. Basal thumb arthritis. Postgrad Med J. 2007 Jan;83(975):40-3. [Free full text]
- Theivendran K, Mahon A, Rajaratnam V. A novel hook plate fixation technique for the treatment of mallet fractures. Ann Plast Surg. 2007 Jan;58(1):112-5. [PubMed]
- Brewster M, Potter R, Power D, Rajaratnam V, Pynsent P. The EWTD: friend or foe to quality patient care? Bulletin of The Royal College of Surgeons of England. 2006 Oct;88(9):318-9. [Abstract]
- Casaletto JA, Rajaratnam V. Surgical process re-engineering: carpal tunnel decompression--a model. Hand Surg. 2004 Jul;9(1):19-27. [PubMed]
Links