Srihari Rao Malempati

Srihari Rao Malempati, M.D., F.A.C.S., J.D., died peacefully at his home on April 7, 2021 with his family at his bedside. He will be remembered for his tremendous generosity, his professional accomplishments, and for his belief in the inherent good of people. He was adored by his family as well as countless friends and acquaintances and will be deeply missed.

Srihari was born on August 23, 1940, in Kolluru, Andhra Pradesh, India. He was raised in the village of Pedapalam with his two brothers and two sisters. Srihari always recalled his village life fondly for the simplicity and freedom he enjoyed during his childhood years. His father was a self-educated Hindi teacher who made his life’s goal to educate his children. His mother was quiet and worked hard to care for the home and the family. Srihari held his parents in high regard and always remembered the sacrifices they made for him and his siblings.

Srihari began studying to become a doctor at the Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada, India, in 1954. After two years, he enrolled in the Andhra Christian College in Guntur, earning a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 1958. Upon receiving his undergraduate degree, he attended the Guntur Medical College where he graduated in 1963. He then completed both his internship and residency at the Government General Hospital in Guntur before taking the hospital’s assistant resident medical officer position. Srihari also served as a tutor in social and preventive medicine at Guntur Medical College in 1967.

While attending Guntur Medical College, Srihari met his wife of 57 years, Indira Priyadarsini. Srihari and Indira met during their first year of medical school and became friends. Theirs was a love story unique to that generation. They each refused arranged marriages and instead, chose each other. They married on January 30, 1964. They had a daughter, Sailaja, in 1965 and a second daughter, Suparna, in 1966. They moved to Flint, Michigan in 1969 where their son, Suman, was born that same year. Srihari decided to come to the United States to improve his knowledge of the surgical field by taking part in a surgery internship at St. Joseph Hospital in Flint. A year later, he entered into the surgery residency program at St. John Hospital in Detroit.

Srihari and Indira were the first in their respective families to complete their education and come to the U.S. Over the years, they supported and helped countless friends and family members who also immigrated to the U.S. They were considered mentors, advisers, and friends by all who knew them.

After completing their residencies, Srihari and Indira moved the family to Pikeville, Kentucky in 1974, where they both began working as physicians—Srihari as a general surgeon. He chose to reside in Pikeville because the region’s medical situation reminded him of circumstances in his home country. The area was in need of doctors at the time. Srihari also preferred to live in a small town as he enjoyed his small-town life in India.

After 23 years in Pikeville, Srihari continued his education by earning a law degree from the Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University in 1997. His interest in the law stemmed from his lifelong quest for knowledge and his interactions with lawyers and the legal system while he was practicing medicine.

From 1998 to 2002, he was an associate at the Pam May Law Firm, and, in August 2002, he was offered the position of Chief Medical Officer at the Pikeville Medical Center (PMC). He served in that capacity for three years during a time in which PMC became a regional medical center. Srihari oversaw many technological advancements and the development of several specialties at the hospital that advanced medical care in the region.

In 2005, after 31 years of serving the people of Eastern Kentucky, Srihari retired from his position at PMC and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. He began working part-time for the Regional Medical Group seeing patients in a clinical setting and continued there until January 2021. He also joined the Telugu Association of Metro Atlanta (TAMA). He had the idea to begin a free medical clinic for the elderly parents from India who visited their children and grandchildren in the US. His idea became the TAMA Free Clinic. Srihari volunteered in the clinic from 2012 until December 2020 and treated over 3000 patients.

Throughout his life, Srihari was known for his keen intellect, his deep convictions, and his dedication to learning. He believed deeply in the value of education and helped countless extended family members and many others achieve their dreams of higher education. Srihari saw the value in every single person with whom he interacted, whether it be family, friends, colleagues, patients, or even the taxi-driver he met on vacation. He took pleasure in and preferred the simple things in life over material possessions. His integrity, work ethic, and compassion for others made him a role model for his children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and numerous others.

Srihari is survived by his wife, Indira, three children and their spouses, Sailaja and James, Suparna and Ash, and Suman and Aly; eight grandchildren, James (25), Vijay (24), Tara (19), Jalen (18), Jay (18), Priya (15), Malia (12), and Noor (3); two brothers, Pitchaiah and Krishna Mohan; two sisters, Malathi and Vijaya; numerous extended family members and countless friends and colleagues.

The Malempati family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the TAMA Free Medical Clinic at www.tama.org.