Amongst the foremost surgeons in the Asia Pacific region, Dr. Raghu Ram Pillarisetti has revolutionised breast cancer care in India through a series of innovative measures. This disease ranks as the number one cancer among Indian women with around one in 22 women affected, half of whom will die from the disease.

He established South Asia’s First comprehensive Breast Health Centre and founded a charitable Foundation to raise awareness of the disease nationwide. He implemented South Asia’s largest population-based screening programme in the southern Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh – this programme is currently being rolled out nationwide.

Inspired by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India’s digital India dream, he developed the World’s First breast health mobile phone app in English & 11 commonly spoken Indian languages, making women across the nation more aware about importance of early detection in a country where the subject is considered to be a ‘taboo’ – so far, it has been downloaded by thousands of people all across India. He launched the world’s first Life size augmented integrated reality for breast cancer awareness to further achieve the mission to transform breast cancer from a “closet” issue to a much commonly discussed one, particularly in rural India, where more than 70% of our population reside.

He adopted a remote village in the southern Indian State of Telangana (Ibrahimpur), where he has provided life-changing equipment and facilities through his personal philanthropy.

He is one of the youngest surgeons elected to have served as President of The Association of Surgeons of India (ASI) for the year 2020, polling the highest number of votes and securing the biggest ever landslide margin in the 85 years history of the Organisation. ASI is Asia Pacific’s largest and the World’s second largest Surgical Organisation representing practicing surgeons and surgical trainees in India.

He was recognized in late Queen Elizabeth II’s 2021 New Year’s Honours list. He achieved the rare distinction of becoming one of the youngest Surgeons of Indian origin in over 100 years to be honoured by Her Majesty, The Queen with an OBE – Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. This is the second highest ranking Order of the British Empire award (excluding a Knighthood/Damehood) conferred in recognition of his outstanding services towards “improving breast cancer care and surgical education in India and to UK/India relations”. Instituted in 1917 by King George V, The Queens Honours are amongst the most prestigious awards worldwide.

In recognition of his outstanding academic track record, innovative initiatives that have transformed Breast healthcare in India & life transforming philanthropy in his adopted Village, he was conferred the prestigious Padma Shri by Hon'ble President of India (2015) making him one of the youngest surgeons to have been bestowed one of the highest civilian awards of the land. He is also one of the youngest Surgeons to be conferred ‘Dr. B.C Roy National Award’ by Hon'ble President of India (2016), which is the highest recognition that can be achieved by a doctor practicing Medicine in India. He is the youngest ever recipient of the International Gold Medal in the 516 years history of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (2013). He is one of the youngest to have delivered Col. Pandalai Oration (2018) instituted by The Association of Surgeons of India, which is the highest academic honour that can be achieved by a surgeon practicing in India.

Alongside many prestigious professional awards worldwide, he is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and all four surgical Royal Colleges in the British Isles - Edinburgh, England, Glasgow & Ireland. He was conferred Honorary FRCS by the Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand (2019), Honorary Fellowship of the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka (2020) & Honorary Fellowship of Chinese College of Surgeons (2020).

In July 2021, he achieved the unique distinction to become the first surgeon of Indian origin in over 100 years to be conferred with the Honorary Fellowship of The Association of Surgeons of Great Britain & Ireland, which is the single largest Organisation in Europe that represents the surgical fraternity in the British Isles. He also achieved the rare distinction to become the youngest surgeon of Indian origin in over 400 years to be conferred Hon. FRCS by the Royal College of Surgeons of England (2022). He has been handpicked to be conferred Honorary Fellowship of the American Surgical Association in 2024 – the highest honour that is bestowed by America’s oldest & most prestigious Surgical Organisation.