St John's Medical College holds 57th COnvocation, 283 doctors get degree certificates

Bengaluru: St. John's Medical College held its 57th Annual Convocation and College Day recently awarding degrees to a total of 283 students across various disciplines. The event marked a significant milestone for the students, including 148 MBBS students, 109 postgraduate scholars, 24 super specialty postgraduates, and two PhD researchers.

The ceremony celebrated the academic achievements of the graduates and highlighted their dedication to the medical profession. The diverse range of degrees awarded during the convocation reflected the comprehensive educational programs offered by St. John's Medical College.

The postgraduate pass rate was 100%, with 16 students getting among the top 5 university ranks in Karnataka state. Three of them got the university Gold medal for obtaining the first rank - Dr. Jeganish in Community Medicine, Dr. Shawn Serrao in Psychiatry and Dr. Arkaja Tripathy in Radiation Oncology.

The super speciality pass percentage was 96%, with 10 of the 24 students securing among the top 5 university ranks in Karnataka state. Four of them got the University 1st rank in Karnataka state - Dr. Priyanka J in Critical Care, Dr. Anjali S. Raj in Neonatology, Dr. Dyan D’Souza in Pediatric Surgery and Dr. Devamish GN in Gastroenterology. 

Currently, the college takes in 150 undergraduate students, and 175 postgraduate and postdoctoral students every year across 43 specialties and super specialties. An average of nearly 95% of students in all years of MBBS have passed the University exams this year, with several securing first-class, distinction, and university ranks.

Dr. Tessy Thomas, Former Director General of Aeronautical Systems, DRDO, famously called ‘The Missile Woman of India’, and currently Vice-chancellor of NICHE University, Kanyakumari, was the Chief Guest of the convocation programme. Rev Fr Jesudoss Rajamanickam, Director of St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences welcomed the dignitaries and the gathering. He congratulated the graduates and postgraduates on this significant achievement. He stressed that they should spend their lifetime serving with integrity, excellence, and empathy.

The Dean of St John’s Medical College, Dr. George D’Souza highlighted the various accomplishments of the students, faculty, and staff of the institution and the various advanced teaching and research initiatives that have been implemented at the institution. He also acknowledged the alumni who have continued to support the institution in creating new scholarships, helping in infrastructure development and in fostering links with leading institutions across the world. He further encouraged the medical students and postgraduate residents to engage in research and avail the various facilities and workshops conducted in the college.

Established in 1963, St. John’s Medical College has produced around 3000 undergraduates and 1200 postgraduates till date. The institution was set up with a mission to train healthcare personnel to serve in rural and underserved areas of our country. From its inception, nearly 70% of all its graduates and several postgraduates have provided medical services in rural and underserved areas of the country.

The institution has been consistently ranked amongst the top medical colleges in the country by various surveys. It was placed 19th in the NIRF rankings of medical colleges overall in India for 2023 and is also 5th among the private medical colleges of the country, this whilst still being the 6th least expensive private medical college in the country. The college is supported by a state-of-the-art 1600 bedded hospital and over 100 critical care beds, which is NABL & NABH accredited, with an average of 2500 daily outpatients and 150 daily inpatient admissions, and over 600 doctors serving in the institution. It is rated as one of the best in the city and in the state, with patients seeking medical help from as far as West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and international patients from neighboring countries Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh among others.

Every year, international students mainly from Europe, the USA, the Middle East & Africa come to St John’s as observers for elective postings or to work in the Institute’s research labs. Last year, nearly 550 students did electives or trained in the college and hospital. The institute is one of the 12 NMC Nodal Centers across India to train faculty in basic and advanced medical education from various medical colleges across South India.