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Living Legend
Dr. K. Ambika
Dr. K. Ambika, who hails from the state capital of Kerala,
Thiruvananthapuram, was born in the year 1949. After
having secured admission to the Government Dental
College, Trivandrum, she graduated in the year 1974. She
is one of those persons who had the rare fortune to join
the very same institution, her alma mater, as a teaching
faculty in 1976, almost immediately after her graduation.
That was a time when master’s degree programmes were
there only in a few specilalities in the one and the only
dental college of the state of Kerala. At a time when women
rarely ventured out of their home state, she chose to go all
the way up to Government Dental College, Ahmedabad,
where she was able to do postgraduation in the discipline
of oral pathology and microbiology under the guidance of
the legendary professor of yesteryears, Dr. K. F. Billimoria.
On return after postgraduation, she continued to be a
teaching faculty in the same college. She quickly rose
through the ranks and soon became the postgraduate
professor and head of the department, finally making it
to adorn the chair of the principal of the premier dental
teaching institution of the state. Her tenure in government
service ended in May 2004, after which she took over as
the principal of Century Institute of Dental Sciences,
Kasargod. After a few years, she shifted down south where
she took over the reins of the Indira Gandhi Institute
of Dental Sciences as a principal, where she worked till
retirement.
Apart from her teaching responsibilities towards
undergraduates and generations of oral pathology
2 © 2022 Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow
postgraduate students, she was a person who devoted
her entire life to the microscopic diagnosis of a whole lot
of pathological conditions affecting the oral cavity and
the associated structures. During her times, her opinion
used to be the last word as far as biopsy services were
concerned. This expertise was positively made use of by
the Kairali Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathologists
for years together during their deliberations, where
histopathology slides of cases from all over Kerala and
outside are discussed, reviewed and brainstormed in a
common platform comprising eminent oral pathologists
and postgraduate students.
Her commitment and dedication to the academic activities of
the association was phenomenal and praiseworthy. A few of
us who had the rare fortune to work under her and along with
her will always remember her for the kind of encouragement
and support she always gives to her colleagues.
Her achievements are truly an inspiration for the younger
generation.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
S. Hari
Oral Pathology, P. S. M College of dental Sciences, Thrissur, Kerala,
India
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Hari: Dr. K. Ambika

Address for correspondence: Dr. S. Hari,
Oral Pathology, P. S. M College of dental Sciences, Thrissur, Kerala, India.
E‑mail: hari61pillai@gmail.com
Submitted: 11-Mar-2022, Accepted: 11-Mar-2022, Published: 31-Mar-2022
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DOI:
10.4103/jomfp.jomfp_126_22

How to cite this article: Hari S. Dr. K. Ambika. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol
2022;26:2-3.

Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology | Volume 26 | Issue 1 | January-March 2022 3