Dr. Hemant Kumar

Dr. Hemant Kumar is a renowned nephrologist, who has spent the previous four decades rendering professional and social services in the fields of Nephrology and public health, with a focus on improving kidney healthcare for newborns, children, women of reproductive age particularly during pregnancy, cancer patients, and the elderly, especially those from poor and marginalized communities.

Dr. Kumar has a master’s degree (MD) in Medicine and a doctorate degree (DM) in Nephrology. He is the first postgraduate from a medical college in Bihar to achieve the latter. He has headed the department of Nephrology at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), Patna and Patna Medical College, Patna. He has also served as President of Indian Society of Nephrology (East Zone).

Dr. Kumar has pioneered the 3P model in Nephrology – Pediatric, Preventive and Palliative Nephrology, and is credited with introducing the technique of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in Bihar. He is also a leading promoter of deceased organ donation in the State, coining the now popular phrase “Life beyond Life”.

In addition to his clinical and social contributions, Dr. Kumar has been an enthusiastic medical teacher and researcher. He has been actively involved with classroom and bedside teaching, and in delivering seminars and symposia. He has organized several innovative medical conferences, including groundbreaking conferences on Onco-Nephrology and Pediatric Nephrology. He has made significant research contributions on the topic of acute kidney injury in pregnancy, wherein his work was cited in Brenner and Rector’s prestigious textbook “The Kidney”.

Dr. Kumar has been awarded Fellowships of the International Society of Nephrology, Indian Society of Nephrology, Indian Society of Organ Transplantation, and Indian Academy of Clinical Medicine. He has been conferred with the Guru Dronacharya Award by Avatar India (an association of nephrologists) to recognize his lifetime contribution in the field of Nephrology, and the Life Time Contribution Award and Award for Excellence in Nephrology by Indian Society of Nephrology.

He was awarded Padma Shri on 27 May 2025 by the President of India.