Hirji Sorab Adenwalla

Hirji Sorab Adenwalla (5 June 1930 – 27 May 2020) was an Indian missionary who joined the Jubilee Mission in Kerala, India, as a surgeon. Adenwalla turned what was originally a small dispensary into a 1500-bedded medical college and research institute called the Jubilee Mission Medical College. Adenwalla contributed several new techniques to the cleft lip surgery, such as a method to avoid a vermillion notch, a protocol for cleft lip nose correction in unilateral cleft lips, and a procedure for septal repositioning. Afterwards, Adenwalla worked as a surgeon at the Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children in Mumbai, where he gained experience in pediatric and plastic surgery under the mentorship of Charles Pinto, a surgeon at the hospital who specialized in cleft lip and palate surgeries. Adenwalla was the only surgeon at the hospital, and as a result he performed plastic surgeries, pediatric surgeries, gastrointestinal surgeries, gynecological surgeries, and orthopedic surgeries. Adenwalla performed more than 21,000 cleft lip and palate surgeries, and continued to perform surgeries until the age of 90. Adenwalla hypothesized that the absence of amino acids resulting from protein deficiency in food was the main cause of cleft lip and palate deformities.

Awards He received the Joseph McCarthy Award for Excellence in Medicine and Humanitarian Services in November, 2006. Adenwalla represented India on the Medical Advisory Board for Smile Train New York and was a member of the Advisory Committee for Smile Train India.

Death Adenwalla died in May 2020 due to age-related ailments.