Management and Administration Team

Dr Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi completed his preliminary education at the St. Aloysius College, Mangalore before graduating in Arts from Mysore University.

The Yenepoya Group was established in 1940 by his father Yenepoya Moideen Kunhi - a great visionary and entrepreneur - and today nearly eight decades later, it has grown remarkably, covering a vast sphere of business interests and diverse social service ventures, providing both direct and indirect employment to over 6000 people. Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi has established many minority educational institutions including the Yenepoya (Deemed to be University) for the upliftment of minority communities in general and the Muslim community in particular. The University established by him today offers courses of study and research in health sciences and confer degrees, diploma and certificates for the advancement of learning, creation and dissemination of knowledge in health sciences to many students from minority and backward communities.

He was awarded with the coveted Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 1992 for yeomen service rendered in the fields of industry, education, and social service. He is also a recipient of the Outstanding Manager Award in the year 2006 from The Mangalore Management Association. He has received New Year Award in 2008 which was organized jointly by The Academy of General Education, Manipal, The Rotary Club of Udupi, Manipal and The Syndicate Bank, Manipal. He was awarded with the Eminent Aloysian Alumni Award at the Aloysian Conclave organized by the Rector and Management of the College in association with Aloysian Partners International and Alumni Association.

Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi was conferred with the Honorary Doctorate from Gulbarga University during the University’s 40th Annual Convocation held on 27th April 2022 for his exemplary services in the field of education.

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Mohammed Farhaad Yenepoya is the Finance Director of the Yenepoya Group.

As the Pro Chancellor of the Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), he works closely on developing new campuses with emphasis on establishing multi-disciplinary courses with industry tie-ups and global collaborations. Education, Health and Technology are his key focus areas.

Email: [email protected]

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Former Director and Professor & Head Surgical Oncology, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore

Dr. M. Vijayakumar, Surgical Oncologist, has been providing a dedicated medical service to the people for the last 30 years as a Surgeon, teacher and educationist.

e graduated from Govt. Medical College, Chengalpattu, Madras University in 1980, got DNB in General Surgery through HAL Hospital, Bangalore and later awarded MCh in surgical oncology from Bangalore University in 1993. He has performed hundreds of major and supra major cancer surgeries in the head and neck region, breast and gastrointestinal areas. His unique contribution is in the field of limb saving surgery for bone tumours and development of reconstructive surgery and micro vascular surgery in the Institute. He was instrumental in the development of minimal access surgery in Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology. He was conferred the Honorary FRCS by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow in 2007. He has Post Graduate diploma in Hospital Management from Annamalai University (2003) He is a regular examiner for MCh and DNB Courses in Surgical Oncology all over the country. He was the Professor of Surgical Oncology for more than 13 years and Director of Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology for over 5 years.

• He has published 50 research papers, presented 60 papers in conferences. He has authored chapters in 7 books.
• He is a passionate teacher who has organized and conducted several continuing education programmes and live surgical workshops.

He has been awarded

• Dr. MAHADEVAN AWARD- in 1994
• The TERRY FOX Project 2001 by TERRY FOX RUN, CANADA  which is his brain child; 
• SOCIETY OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY INC(USA) - Travel Award to Phoenix, AZ,USA in   March 2009.
• HONORARY MEMBER OF BRAZIL SOCIETY OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY in October 2015.

He was the Honorary Secretary of Surgical Society of Bangalore and   Karnataka State Chapter of  Association of Surgeons of India. He was  also the Honorary Secretary of Indian Association of Surgical Oncology.  He is the former President of Indian Association of Surgical Oncology (2015) and presently he is the Vice President of Ostomates India.
Recently he has been trained in Robotic Surgery which he has established  in Yenepoya Medical College Hospital under Yenepoya  University, Mangalore, where he is  currently working as the Vice Chancellor  and  Professor of Surgical Oncology since  July 2015.

Created a separate team for Cancer Awareness Outreach Programme in Yenepoya University.  135 NSS Programme Officers and 13,500 NSS Programme Volunteers were trained  in creating awareness. This is a collaborative initiative with Mangalore University. 1900 Anganwadi Workers and ASHA workers of Udupi district were also  trained separately by Yenepoya University team. With the help of Yenepoya Nursing College, nursing students of 30 nursing colleges of Dakshina Kannada were also trained.

He is presently the Head of Health Promotion and Cancer Prevention Committee of  National Cancer Grid under the aegis of Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.

email: [email protected]

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Dr. K. S. Gangadhara Somayaji is a distinguished Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) surgeon with nearly three decades of clinical experience, specializing in Microscopic Ear Surgery and Endoscopic Sinus Surgery. He has been associated with Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, since 2007, serving the institution in multiple academic and administrative leadership roles.

A dedicated clinician and academician, Dr. Somayaji has consistently promoted skill- based and competency-based medical education. During his tenure as Head of the Department of ENT, he significantly strengthened surgical training through live operative demonstrations, cadaver-based hands-on workshops, and structured clinical skill enhancement programs for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Dr. Somayaji assumed charge as the Registrar of Yenepoya (Deemed to be University) on 29.09.2018, a role in which he played a central part in academic administration, statutory governance, regulatory compliance, and institutional expansion. As Registrar, he was responsible for overseeing statutory bodies, the Academic Council, the Executive Council, the Finance Committee, Examination systems, admission processes, and coordination with national regulatory authorities.

During his tenure, he contributed substantially to the strategic growth and diversification of the University, including the establishment of constituent units in Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, and Naturopathy and Yogic Science, School of Allied Health Sciences, and School of Engineering and Technology, and the expansion of programs under the twelve Faculties of Study. The Bangalore off-campus centre of Yenepoya (Deemed to be University) was established during his tenure as Registrar, marking an important milestone in the University’s expansion.

As Registrar, Dr. Somayaji was actively involved in quality assurance initiatives and coordination for the NAAC Peer Team visit in 2021, contributing to the strengthening of internal quality assurance mechanisms, policy formulation, and outcome-based academic processes. He worked closely with faculty and administrators to ensure timely compliance with UGC, statutory councils, and accreditation requirements.

He also supported the use of digital platforms and e-governance systems in university administration, facilitating improvements in academic records management, examination processes, communication systems, and administrative efficiency.

In recognition of his sustained academic leadership, governance experience, and institutional service, Dr. K. S. Gangadhara Somayaji has taken over as the Vice-Chancellor of Yenepoya (Deemed to be University) on 15.01.2026.

As Vice-Chancellor, he provides strategic and academic leadership focused on institutional excellence, innovation in teaching-learning, research advancement, quality assurance, and societal engagement, in alignment with national education policies and global best practices.

Discipline-specific Areas of Interest	Micro ear surgery, Endoscopic Sinus surgery, General ENT, and Nasal Allergy
Year of joining Yenepoya (Deemed to be University)	Joined as Professor in ENT on 10th May 2007. Before that, worked in various capacities at Adichunchanagiri Medical College and KVG Medical College, Sullia, for 10 years
Year of appointment to the current post – Vice Chancellor	15/01/2026
Important awards/recognitions	5th rank holder for the Karnataka state in SSLC examinations First class with distinction in all the subjects of MBBS with 4 gold medals Editorial board membership and peer reviewer in indexed journals Successfully organised many CME and Live surgical workshops on micro ear surgery, general otolaryngology, endoscopic sinus surgery, Radiology in ENT, CME and workshops on vertigo at Yenepoya University.
Contribution to Academics/Administrative/Research/others	Former Registrar, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University) from 29.09.2018 to 14.1.2026 Governing Council Member, Association of Otolaryngologists of India since 2019 Executive Council Member, Association of Otolaryngologists of Karnataka since 2026 Member of the BOS (PG) in RGUHS from 2006-2008. External member for ENT curriculum monitoring committee and BOS (CLINICAL) at Nitte deemed to be university from 2015 to 2018 Member of IQAC, Nitte Deemed to be University since 2019 External member for PG BOS of JSS University between 2019 and 2020 Chairman of BOS, ENT, Yenepoya University, Member of the academic council of Yenepoya University, Chairman of the curriculum and attendance monitoring committee for UG of Yenepoya University, and former chairman of the anti-ragging committee of Yenepoya University, 2012-2018. Faculty for hands-on courses in temporal bone dissection and cadaver sinus surgery courses, and Delegate/chairperson/panelist/moderator and resource person at many specialty-related conferences Completed 21 research projects as PG and PhD guide, currently guiding 4 students. Has an ICMR research grant for 30 lakhs to be completed in 2024. Has more than 75 research papers in peer-reviewed index journals
Contact Details	Office: 0824-2204658, Extension: 5001 Mobile: 9611873724 Email: [email protected]

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Discipline-specific Areas of Interest	E-learning Outcome Based Education Simulation-based learning Emerging technologies in learning Quality Improvement in Healthcare Organizations Scientific writing
Year of joining Yenepoya (Deemed to be University)	2008
Year of appointment as Registrar	2026
Important awards/recognitions	Best Research Paper at one International and two National Conferences. Best Teacher award in 2018 and 2025 felicitated on National Doctor’s Day in 2022 at Yenepoya Medical College. Editorial board membership and peer reviewer in indexed journals. Completed 30 online courses in varied nature disciplines.
Contribution to Academics/Research	Coordinator for implementing Outcome Based Education, Digital Learning. Organizing and resource person for workshops for various scientific and general academic programs in Curriculum design and development, Outcome- based Education, Research Methodology, Medical Education, Simulation-based teaching, Scientific writing, and Physiology. Member of the Executive Council, Academic Council, PhD Advisory Board, Curriculum Committee of the University, NAAC steering committee, IQAC, Scientific Review Board, Digital Learning, Outcome- Based Education, etc. Centralized collection and monitoring of the Feedback on the curriculum from the Stakeholders. Identification of needs of learners, evaluation of students’ innate or acquired abilities, skills, and potential in various domains of cognitive, academic, or professional areas. 52 Research publications
Contact Details	08242204668(Extn.5003)
E-Mail Address	[email protected]

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