Mayfield Clinic remembers former Fellow, Viswanathan Rajaraman, MD

CINCINNATI - The Mayfield Clinic was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Viswanathan Rajaraman, MD, and his wife, Mary J. Sundaram, MD, who died Sunday when their single-engine plane crashed in Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. Rajaraman, Co-Division Chief of Neuro-Oncology at the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, trained as a fellow at the Mayfield Clinic and University of Cincinnati Department of Neurosurgery from January 1994 through June 1995. The location of his fellowship training was The Christ Hospital. His mentor was Stewart B. Dunsker, MD, a retired Mayfield Clinic neurosurgeon and Professor Emeritus of Neurosurgery at UC.

"Dr. Rajaraman was a joyful person who was always willing to collaborate, to conduct research and to write scholarly articles," said John M. Tew, Jr., MD, a Mayfield neurosurgeon who was Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery during Dr. Rajaraman's fellowship. "He came to us as a fully trained neurosurgeon, and he was a fine contributor to our program during the 18 months he was here. We followed his career with great interest and pride."

"Vishy's energy, enthusiasm and affability were infectious, and his positive spirit served us all," said Jeffrey T. Keller, PhD, Director of the Goodyear Microsurgery Laboratory and Associate Director of the Neurosurgery Residency Training Program at UC. "He was a kind person, even under duress."

Dr. Rajaraman earned his medical degree from the University of Madras in India and performed his internship and a neurosurgical residency at Government General Hospitals, also in Madras. He did additional training at the Royal College of Surgeons, United Kingdom; the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University; and the New Jersey Medical School. He performed a second fellowship at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Dr. Rajaraman and his wife lived in Franklin Lakes, N.J. Dr. Rajaraman was 54 years old; Dr. Sundaram, an obstetrician, was 50.

The Mayfield Clinic extends its deepest sympathies to Drs. Rajaraman and Sundaram's daughter, Kaavya Viswanathan, during this time of sorrow.