Prof Cameruddin W. Vellani passes away; AKU mourns eminent cardiologist, mentor

Inna Lillah e Wa Inna 'Ilayhi Raji'un.

KARACHI: It is with deep sorrow that Medical College Pakistan, Aga Khan University (AKU) and the wider medical community mourn the passing of Professor Cameruddin W. Vellani, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus in Cardiology.

Professor Vellani’s death marks the loss of a towering figure in Pakistani medicine whose career combined clinical excellence, pioneering research, and transformational leadership in medical education.

• Professor Vellani trained in the United Kingdom after completing his MBBS at the University of Wales in 1960 and advanced cardiology training at the Universities of Wales and Edinburgh.
• He earned an MD with distinction in 1972 for early, computer-based research into cardiac arrhythmias — work that presaged later advances in cardiovascular diagnostics and monitoring.
• A Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London, he brought international expertise back to Pakistan and served at Dow Medical College and Civil Hospital Karachi before joining AKU in 1979.
• At Aga Khan University, Professor Vellani held several senior roles including Chair of Medicine, Associate Dean for the Medical College, and Rector (1997–2001).
• He was instrumental in institution building at AKU: helping establish the AKU Examination Board, contributing to the AKU Human Development Program, and serving on the Board of Directors and advisory bodies.
• His leadership and vision helped shape AKU into a centre of academic rigor, ethical practice, and patient-centred care.
• Professor Vellani was widely celebrated as a mentor and teacher.
• Generations of students, residents and junior faculty credit him with shaping their professional lives through patient mentorship, rigorous teaching and personal example.
• Colleagues remember his passion for teaching, his meticulous attention to patients, and the empathy and humility with which he treated everyone who came under his care.
• As a researcher and innovator, Professor Vellani continued to contribute throughout his life.
• He was among the first at AKU to file patents on technology to detect ischemia and, despite recent illness, worked with his team on revisions that led to a paper accepted in Scientific Reports.
• His work ranged from cardiovascular physiology and the origins of atheroma to methods for measuring arterial blood pressure and innovations in medical education.

Tributes pouring in from across the globe highlight his clinical brilliance, his ability to connect with people from all walks of life, and his steadfast commitment to institution building.

He was honoured with AKU’s President’s Medal — the university’s highest award given to individuals who have significantly advanced AKU’s mission and development.

Professor Vellani will be remembered as a gentleman, a superb clinician, an inspiring teacher, a rigorous researcher and a selfless leader.

He is survived by his wife, Sayeeda, daughters Zulaikha and Ayesha, and son Amir.

May he rest in eternal peace, and may his legacy of service, scholarship and mentorship continue to inspire future generations of healthcare professionals.

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