Dr Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale, chief of the group is working as Director, Heart and Lung Transplantation Program and as Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic and Minimal Access Surgeon in Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. Dr Gokhale, a noted name among the medical fraternity in general and cardiothoracic surgeons the world over in particular, has had the distinction of performing India’s first heart-kidney combined transplant. He is one of the very few surgeons in the world who did heterotopic heart transplant (piggy-back heart transplant). Dr Gokhale did the 1st successful heart transplant, first successful lung transplant, first double lung transplant and 1st successful implantation of temporary ventricular assist device in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He has one of the largest experiences in minimally invasive heart surgery in India. In February 2015, Dr. Gokhale brought heart interstate from Bangalore to Hyderabad and successfully did heart transplant on a patient in Hyderabad (second time it happened in India). He also started robotic assisted cardiothoracic surgery successfully at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad.

So far he did 55 heart and lung transplants- 50 heart transplants including a heterotopic heart transplant and 5 single lung transplants and one each of double lung transplant and combined heart-lung transplant and more than 16,000 plus open heart surgeries – adult as well as pediatric with a success rate of 98.4%.

Dr.Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale has pioneered the art of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery for those needing multiple bypass grafts (key hole bypass surgery), valve replacements, mitral valve repairs and closure of holes in the heart. He conducted many live workshops and trained heart surgeons in India and abroad in minimally invasive heart surgery. Dr. Gokhale also conducts cadaver workshops for training surgeons in heart and lung transplants. Dr. Gokhale ranks among the best in the world in his competence, expertise and experience. He is instrumental in establishing Indian Society for heart and lung transplantation (INSHLT).Previously, Dr. Gokhale worked at Yashoda Hospitals, Secunderabad (2012-2015), Global Hospitals (2003-2012), Medicity Hospitals (1996-2003) and NIMS (1990-92). Conducting research on the role of injecting stem cells into the heart, he also embraces global standards of technology. He is on a mission to provide quality services to patients.

Dr. Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale obtained his MBBS and MS (General Surgery) from Guntur Medical College, India (1976–1985). He was trained in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore, South India, and obtained M.Ch and DNB degrees in that specialty in 1990. As an under-graduate and post-graduate student, he received many awards for academic excellence. He presented many papers at national conferences and published articles in international journals. After his training at CMC, Vellore, he worked as Assistant Professor in the division of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad, till 1992.

During 1992-93, he did fellowship in Heart Transplantation and Lung Transplantation at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, Australia. He worked as a Fellow in cardiothoracic surgery at Westmead Hospital, Sydney, from 1993 to 1995. During 1995-1996, he did Fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St Louis, USA, with Dr. Nicholas Kouchoukos and gained experience in the areas of redo coronary artery bypass surgery and aortic aneurysm surgeries and root repairs.

Dr.Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale believes in staying at the forefront of developments in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery and in advancing the medical facilities to people in India. While practicing over the past few decades, he visited many surgeons at leading cardiothoracic and transplant centers in the world like Dr Naka Yoshifumi at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, New York, Dr Alexander Patterson at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, USA, Prof. Anthony Yim at Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong and Dr Mahesh Ramchandani and Dr Loebe Matthias at DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, Houston, Texas and and Prof Francis P Sutter, who has enormous robotic assisted bypass surgery experience  at Lankenau Medical center, PA, USA .

As part of his social responsibility, Dr. Gokhale established Sahrudaya health, Medical and Educational Trust and helped many poor patients financially to undergo heart surgeries  and supported education of poor children. Through Sahrudaya Trust, he established open heart surgery programme at Government General Hosptial, Guntur (his alma mater) and performed nearly 450 open heart surgeries and 4 heart transplants there. He also adopted ZPH School , Tamirisa, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh and provided basic amnesties like water and toilets, repaired the buildings, provided sports and digital education  facilities to the children.

For his contributions to the profession and society, he was recognised by the government , various social and professional organizations. Notable among them, he was awarded “Padmasri” by Government of India in the year 2016.