Dr. Rajesh Gopalakrishna

Dr. Rajesh Gopalakrishna

Clinical Professor

Department: Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Qualification:  MD (Medicine), DNB (Gastroenterology), MNAMS, FICP, FRCP, FISG
Email: grajesh@aims.amrita.edu

About Me

Dr. Rajesh brings his skills and leadership to the Amrita Gastroenterology Team, expanding expertise in this area through his specialization in pancreaticobiliary diseases.
Dr. Rajesh received his medical degree from Calcutta University. He completed his postgraduate courses in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He was awarded the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology (JSGE) Research Fellowship in 2011 and attended advanced clinical training program in Tokyo with focus on pancreaticobilary diseases. He was awarded the Commonwealth Academic Fellowship in 2014 and did his clincial fellowship in pancreaticobiliary medicine in University College Hospital, London.
Dr. Rajesh is well versed in the evaluation and treatment of various hepatopancreaticobiliary diseases. He is actively involved in the Pancreas Clinic and is a key member of a clinical and laboratory-based research group centered at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi. He also has a keen interest in pancreaticobiliary interventions including ERCP, EUS and cholangioscopy as well as in image-enhanced endoscopy. His current research focuses on etiopathogeneis of chronic pancreatitis and early diagnosis of pancreaticobiliary cancers. He is interested in development of a clinical research program aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of patients with liver and pancreaticobiliary malignancy.
Dr. Rajesh has published more than 40 articles in indexed journals and 10 book chapters. He is the editor of the book “Practical Gastroenterology (2nd edition)”. He has delivered invited lectures and presented several papers and posters at regional and national conferences. He has been awarded fellowship of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology (FISG) and also of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (FRCP) as well as Indian College of Physicians (FICP).He is a also member of various national professional bodies like Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy of India (SGEI), Indian Pancreas Club, Indian Motility and Functional Diseases Association, Indian National Association for Study of Liver (INASL). He is also an International Member of the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA), American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and International Association of Pancreatology (IAP).

Area of Interest (s)

  • Hepatopancreaticobiliary Diseases
  • ERCP
  • EUS
  • Image-enhanced endoscopy

Achievements

  • Commonwealth Fellowship (2014).
  • Japanese Society of Gastroenterology (JSGE) Research Fellowship Award in 2011.

Trainings / Fellowships

  • Clinical Fellowship in Pancreatobiliary Medicine, London (2014)
  • Advanced Clinical Training Programme in Gastroenterology, Tokyo (2011)

Publications

Indexed journals

  1. Rajesh G, Girish BN, Panicker S, Venu RP, Balakrishnan V. Risk factors for pancreatic cancer in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Trop Gastroenterol 2016; 37(3):184-190
  2. Rajesh G, Girish BN, Panicker S, Balakrishnan V. Time trends in the etiology of chronic pancreatitis in South India. Trop Gastroenterol. 2014; 35(3):164-167.
  3. Rajesh G, Veena AB, Menon S, Balakrishnan V. Clinical profile of early-onset and late-onset idiopathic chronic pancreatitis in South India. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2014 May;33(3):231-6.
  4. Rajesh G, Girish BN, Vaidyanathan K, Balakrishnan V. Diet, nutrient deficiency and chronic pancreatitis. Trop Gastroenterol. 2013 Apr-Jun;34(2):68-73.
  5. Rajesh G, Kumar H, Menon S, Balakrishnan V Pancreatitis in the setting of the metabolic syndrome. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2012;31(2):79-82.
  6. Rajesh G, Girish BN, Vaidyanathan K, Saumya M, Balakrishnan V. Folate deficiency in chronic pancreatitis. JOP. 2010;11(4):409-10.
  7. Rajesh G, Girish BN, Vaidyanathan K, Saumya M, Balakrishnan V. Reply to: Some more queries on folate deficiency in chronic pancreatitis. JOP. 2010.
  8. Rajesh G, Elango EM, Vidya V, Balakrishnan V. Genotype-phenotype correlations in 9 patients with tropical pancreatitis and identified gene mutations. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2009;28(2):68-71.
  9. Rajesh G, Nair AS, Narayanan VA, Balakrishnan V. Acute pancreatitis in viral infections with possible progression to chronic pancreatitis. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2008; 27(4):162-4.
  10. Rajesh G, Nair AS, Narayanan V, Balakrishnan V. Tropical Pancreatitis and fibrocalculous pancreatic diabetes – two sides of the same coin? Trop. Gastroenterol. 2008;29(3):175-6.
  11. Rajesh G, Gajendra O, Siyad I, Geetha M, Bohari SS, Narayanan VA. Cronkhite Canada syndrome. J Assoc Physicians India. 2008; 56:606.
  12. Rajesh G, Siyad I, Moorthy S, Sooraj V, Saleemhusain S; Bohari, Geetha M, Sadasivan S, Narayanan VA, Nair P, Balakrishnan V. Arterioportal fistula presenting as ascites. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2007; 26(4):197-8.
  13. Rajesh G, Sadasivan S, Hiran KR, Nandakumar R, Balakrishnan V. Acute myeloid leukemia presenting as obstructive jaundice. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2006; 25(2): 93-4.
  14. Rajesh G, Mehta R, Nandakumar R, Sadasivan S, John A, Balakrishnan V. Skeletal infections in cirrhotics. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2005; 24(4): 174-5 .
  15. Rajesh G, Balakrishnan V. Chronic pancreatitis. Amrita Journal of Medicine, 2011.
  16. Veena AB, Rajesh G, Joe V, Sundaram KR, Balakrishnan V. Alcoholic chronic pancreatitis and alcoholic liver cirrhosis – differences in alcohol use habits and patterns in Indian subjects. Pancreas 2012;41(5):703-6.
  17. Girish BN, Rajesh G, Vaidyanathan K, Balakrishnan V. Alterations in amino acid levels in chronic pancreatitis. JOP. 2011; 12(1):11-8.
  18. Girish BN, Rajesh G, Vaidyanathan K, Balakrishnan V. Zinc status in chronic pancreatitis and its relationship with exocrine and endocrine insufficiency. JOP. 2009; 10(6):651-6.
  19. Girish BN, Vaidyanathan K, Rao AN, Rajesh G, Reshmi S, Balakrishnan V. Chronic pancreatitis is associated with hyperhomocysteinemia and derangements in transsulfuration and transmethylation pathways. Pancreas. 2010;39(1):e11-6.
  20. Girish BN, Rajesh G, Kannan V, Balakrishnan V. Fecal elastase-1 and acid steatocrit estimation in chronic pancreatitis. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2009; 28(6):201-5.
  21. Girish BN, Vaidyanathan K, Rajesh G, Balakrishnan V. Effects of micronutrient status on oxidative stress and exocrine pancreatic function in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Indian J Biochem Biophys. 2012 Oct;49(5):386-91.
  22. Tinju J, Reshmi S, Rajesh G, Balakrishnan V. Anthropometric, biochemical, clinical and dietary assessment of malnutrition in chronic pancreatitis. Trop. Gastroenterol. 2010;31(4):285-90.
  23. BalakrishnanV, Rajesh G, Girish BN, Vaidyanathan K, Saumya M. Response to: Homocysteine and Chronic Pancreatitis. Pancreas2010; 39(8):1304.
  24. Balakrishnan V, Rajesh G, Lakshmi R et al. The impact of a multidisciplinary, comprehensive care model in chronic pancreatitis on patient perceptions and quality of life. Amrita Journal of Medicine.2013.
  25. Chatni S, Shine S, Sooraj V, Pande G, Rajesh G, Hussain B, Geetha M, Siyad I, Narayanan VA, Balakrishnan V. Esophageal pseudo-tattoo from ingested capsule. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2007; 26(4):166.
  26. Mehta R, Suvarna D, Rajesh G, Sadasivan S. Splenic artery aneurysm with arteriovenous fistula as a cause of portal hypertension. Indian J. Gastroenterol. 2004; 23(1): 36-7.
  27. Mehta R, Suvarna D, Sadasivan S, Rajesh G. Acute colonic pseudo-obstruction (Ogilvie’s syndrome) in critical care unit. Indian J. Critical Care Medicine, 2004; 8(1): 43-5.
  28. Girish BN, Rajesh G, Vaidyanathan K, Balakrishnan V. Assessment of oxidative stress in chronic pancreatitis and its relation with zinc status. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2011;30(2):84-8.
  29. Girish BN, Rajesh G, Vaidyanathan K, Balakrishnan V. Assessment of cassava toxicity in patients with tropical pancreatitis. Trop. Gastroenterol. 2011; 32(2):112-6.
  30. Kamisawa T, Takuma K, Hara S, Tabata T, Kuruma S, Inaba Y, Gopalakrishna R, Egawa N, Itokawa F, Itoi T. Management strategies for autoimmune pancreatitis. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2011; 12(14):2149-59.
  31. Takuma K, Kamisawa T,Gopalakrishna R, Hara S, Tabata T, Inaba Y, Egawa N, Igarashi Y. Strategy to differentiate autoimmune pancreatitis from pancreas cancer. World J Gastroenterol 2012; 18(10):1015-1020.

Book chapters

  1. Rajesh G, Balakrishnan V. Pancreatic Infections. In: Vaishnavi C (ed) Gastrointestinal tract Infections. New Delhi: Paragon International,2008.
  2. Rajesh G. Managing recurrent hiccups. In: Balakrishnan V (ed). Practical Gastroenterology, New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers,2007.
  3. Rajesh G. Management of cholestasis. In: Balakrishnan V (ed). Practical Gastroenterology, New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers,2007.
  4. BalakrishnanV, Rajesh G. Chronic pancreatitis: a Southern Indian perspective. In: Garg P (ed) Chronic pancreatitis. New Delhi: Elsevier 2010.
  5. Balakrishnan V, Rajesh G. Diseases of the pancreas. In: Munjal Y(ed).API Textbook of Medicine 9th ed. Mumbai: Association of Physicians of India, 2012.