Mary Verghese

Mary Puthisseril Verghese was an Indian physician who lived from 21 May 1925 to 17 December 1986 and was among the earliest pioneers of physical medicine and rehabilitation in India. In 1963 she took charge of what was the first department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with an inpatient facility in India, at the Christian Medical College, Vellore. She went on to expand the services of that department and, in 1966, established the first inpatient rehabilitation institute of the country. In recognition of her contributions to medicine the Government of India awarded her the Padma Shri in 1972, and the Mary Verghese Trust later instituted an award in her memory, first given in 2012 for excellence in empowering ability.