Featured Doctor

BALA, Prof Kanu: South Asia region president 2016-18

Prof Kanu Bala, MBBS, PhD (DU), PhD (USTC), FRCP (Dublin), FRCP (Edinburgh) is the Professor of Family Medicine of the University of Science and Technology Chittagong (USTC). He is the Medical Director of the Bangladesh Institute of Family Medicine and Research (BIFMR). He is a Visiting Professor of Medicine of the Peoples’ University of Bangladesh.

Prof Bala is one of the pioneers of introducing and developing Family Medicine Education in Bangladesh. He played most important role for establishing and nourishing the College of General Practitioners of Bangladesh (BCGP) - Full Member of WONCA and the Bangladesh Academy of Family Physicians (BAFP) -Full Member of WONCA. He is the key person for establishing and running the Bangladesh Institute of Family Medicine and Research-Academic Member of WONCA and only university running Family Medicine Programme in Bangladesh. He drafted FCGP Course Curriculum for BCGP and FMD Course Curriculum for BIUMR, USTC.

Prof Bala has contributed significantly in the field of Family Medicine Education. For the first time in 1998, he proposed and practiced two-step education policy in Family Medicine for the developing countries. This can be used as a role model for most of the developing countries. World Health Organization (WHO) also recognizes this type of policy for other areas of medical education.

Prof Bala is a renowned researcher. His fields of research are Family Medicine Education, Hypertension, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chronic Hepatitis B, Intestinal Tuberculosis, Dyspepsia, etc. His research works are published in the different national and international journals. So far, 164 articles are published in national and international journals of them 90 articles as first author; and 128 abstracts are published. Prof Bala has authored a text book for the students in Family Medicine named ‘The Basis of Family Medicine’, which is praised by the World renowned authors and leaders in Family Medicine. He is also the author of other books and booklets. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Bangladesh Journal of Family Physicians, Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Bangladesh Journal of Ultrasonography, Member of the Editorial Board of the AFSUMB Journal published from Hong Kong, and reviewer of JUM published from USA.

Prof Bala has served as the President of the Bangladesh Academy of Family Physicians. He is also the Vice President of the Asian Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (AFSUMB), Secretary of the WFUMB Center of Excellence, Member of the Education Committee of the WFUMB, and Councilor of the WONCA. He is a recipient of the ‘Leader of the Profession’ award by the University of Science and Technology Chittagong, ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award of the Bangladesh Society of Ultrasonography, and ‘Global Family Physician’ award of the World Organization of Family Doctors. He is a Fellow of the College of General Practitioners of Bangladesh, and American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

Prof Bala is an outstanding world class speaker. He delivered Invited Speeches at Different Congresses in Vienna, Sydney, Florence, Sao Paolo, Costa Rica, Washington, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Utsunomiya, Bangkok, Delhi, Perth, Bali, Kolkata, Dharan, Mumbai, Chennai, Guangzhou, Colombo, Kyoto, Rio de Janeiro, etc. He was invited as the key-note speaker of the National Conference of General Practitioners Association of Nepal. As AFSUMB Education Committee Chairman he has organized AFSUMB Workshops in Phnom Penn, Shanghai, Karachi, Manila, Bangkok, Delhi, Jakarta, Ulan Bator, Bali, Hong Kong and Katmandu.

Prof Bala is an Examiner and Question Setter of FCGP Examination, FMD Examination, and Medicine Examinations of USTC. He attended MD-GP Examinations of Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal as an External Examiner. He is a member of the MRCGP (International) South Asia Board, which conducts MRCGP (Int.) examinations for the South Asian Countries.

Prof Bala belongs to a very big joint family including two children and two grand children which is exceptionally rare now-a-days. He is a well known social worker in his locality.

Prof Bala as Organizing Chairman and his colleagues organized wonderful, well managed and well participated WONCA South Asia Regional Conference in Dhaka on 12, 13 and 14 February 2015. 100 international delegates and 300 national delegates joined the conference. It was one of the finest medical conferences ever happened in Bangladesh.