Inder Perkash, MD, an emeritus professor of urology who advanced treatment for patients with spinal cord injuries, died at Stanford Hospital on Feb. 28. He was 91.
“Inder’s decades of service helped shape the lives of countless disabled veterans,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at Stanford University. “His passing leaves a profound void, but his legacy at Stanford Medicine endures through the lives he touched, especially his students and colleagues.”
Perkash joined Stanford in 1972 to head the spinal cord injury program at the VA Medical Center in Palo Alto. He became the first professor of Indian origin to have tenure and an endowed chair – the Paralyzed Veterans of America Professor in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine – at Stanford University.
Over the years, Perkash published over 300 research papers. “Inder dedicated his life’s work to improving neurogenic bladder management and care in spinal cord injury patients,” said Rodney Anderson, MD, professor emeritus of urology. “He was always friendly and curious – and a true pioneer.”
He had an optimism that extended to treating patients. “A new spinal cord injury patient may be wondering whether he wants to live, but my father would come in and just light up the room,” said his son, Rajan Perkash, MD. “He would get them talking and laughing again, making them forget the seriousness of their injury for a while. His presence was truly uplifting.”
He also shared that passion with students. Every urology resident, for several decades, learned about urologic care for spinal cord-injured patients from Perkash, Linda Shortliffe, MD, a professor emerita and former chair of urology at Stanford Medicine, said.
“He believed in helping people achieve their full potential,” Rajan Perkash said. “He was happy to help anybody with energy, heart, and something they wanted to achieve.”
Beyond his professional achievements, Perkash was known for his deep empathy and kindness. Colleagues and loved ones remember him as a man of immense warmth, humility, and generosity. “He was, no matter the circumstances, kind, compassionate, and polite,” Shortliffe said. “I miss his smiling, friendly face and distinctive voice, but they’re etched in wonderful memories.”
Ambition born from hardship
Early hardship drove Perkash’s ambitions and his optimistic personality, his family said. He was born in 1934 in what is now the Punjab province in Pakistan. Before the Partition of India in 1947, his parents owned rental properties and lived a middle-class life. But as Hindus, they had to flee when British India was divided into India and Pakistan.
“They left thinking that they would be able to go back. They took a few suitcases and left,” Rajan Perkash said. “But they couldn’t return – their property was seized.”
The family became refugees, landing in New Delhi. Despite the difficulties, Perkash excelled academically, earning a scholarship to medical school and supporting his younger siblings and parents. He lifted his family from poverty by graduating first in his medical school class at northern India’s Lucknow University in 1957.
There he met his future wife, Arun Perkash, MBBS, who graduated second in the class. At the time, the two were not romantically involved due to family pressure, she said.
“I grew up in a semi-conservative family – they wanted me to marry in our community. Inder and I had different languages, cultures, and caste. So, initially, my parents were not in favor of him,” Arun Perkash said.
After medical school, Perkash earned a master’s degree in surgery, then moved to the United Kingdom for a fellowship with the Royal College of Surgeons in 1961.
Arun Perkash received a scholarship to pursue a PhD in pathology in England – as it turned out, in the same hospital. One day, she attended a party. “They invited this Indian doctor here to meet me, and I found out it was Inder,” she said. “There were so few Indians in London at that time, so I was happy that he was there.”
Finally, her family agreed to the match. They married in 1963 and in 1964 moved to Stanford Medicine – Inder Perkash as a postdoctoral scholar in urology and Arun Perkash as an instructor in pathology. “California was so different from England,” she said. “It was so multicultural.”
After Stanford, the couple returned to India, where they both landed jobs at a hospital in Chandigarh. They built a house and welcomed two boys, Sunil and Rajan.
But her husband didn’t see an opportunity to rise in the ranks there, Arun Perkash said. In 1971, he took a position at Baylor Medical School in Houston. “He left a well-established job, house, everything, and just resigned and landed in America, again like a refugee,” Rajan Perkash said.
His job was to face a wave of veterans returning from the Vietnam War with injuries. “At the time, the field was neglected – it was always the most depressing ward in any hospital, because you couldn’t do anything for those patients,” Rajan Perkash said. “One of the main reasons spinal cord injury patients don’t do well is urological issues. He happened to be a urologist with advanced surgical training and applied that to spinal cord injury.”
In just two years at Baylor, he made the program one of the nation’s best. Then Stanford Medicine called, wanting to open a spinal cord injury program through the VA Medical Center. Perkash became its chief and an associate professor of surgery.
He worked directly with patients as a urologist and spinal cord injury physician. He also researched new ways to improve care for these patients.
He developed new guidelines for neurogenic bladder – a type of incontinence that results from an injury that disrupts the link between the brain and the bladder. His work helped establish evidence-based protocols that continue to inform diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care strategies.
He also pioneered the use of surgery to cut the sphincter muscles in the bladder to manage this condition in spinal cord injury patients. He was one of the first doctors to use lasers to stimulate the bladder nerves and use laser surgery for ureteral strictures, a narrowing of the ureter that can obstruct urine flow.
“Whatever goal he set, he worked wholeheartedly to achieve it,” Arun Perkash said.
Though he retired from his clinical role in 2013, he remained deeply engaged in academic life until 2023, when a stroke curtailed his activities.
Whatever goal he set, he worked wholeheartedly to achieve it.”Arun Perkash
Building a community through career
Most of Perkash’s social life revolved around work. He and his wife hosted annual pool parties and Indian dinners for urology residents and colleagues, and he frequented emeritus dinners and academic events on campus.
He also enjoyed travelling, with Arun Perkash often planning family vacations around medical conferences – a fact his children didn’t fully appreciate until much later, Rajan Perkash said. “The first time he really just went on a vacation, he didn’t know what to do with himself.”
Outside of medicine, Perkash was an avid skier and swimmer. Winters were often spent at the family cabin in Twain Harte, California, skiing in the Sierra Nevada mountains and, later, with friends at Lake Tahoe. He even combined his love for skiing with his career, attending conferences in Utah for daytime skiing and evening meetings. He also fostered a deep passion for Stanford athletics in his family, regularly attending football games on campus.
At home, Perkash was a devoted family man, Rajan Perkash said. Despite his demanding career, he was home for dinner every night and present in his children’s lives. His dedication extended to his grandchildren, with whom he shared a special bond as babysitter and swim teacher. His family remembers him as a man who always made time for those he loved despite his professional commitments.
His many accolades include Physician of the Year for California, the Distinguished Clinician Award, and a Presidential Award for Medical Excellence.
Perkash is survived by his wife, Arun Perkash, MD, of Los Altos, California; his sons, Rajan Perkash, MD, and Sunil Perkash; his youngest sister, Harshi; and two grandchildren. His parents, brother, and two sisters preceded him in death.
There will be a memorial service, sponsored by the family and the urology department, at 4:30 p.m. on June 26 at Memorial Church on the Stanford University campus.
For more information
This story was originally published by Stanford Medicine.
Writer
Jennifer Welsh
