# Deepak Pandya
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{{Short description|Indian American neuroanatomist (1932–2020)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2026}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Deepak Pandya.jpg
| birth_name = Deepak Narmadashankar Pandya
| birth_date = {{birthdate|1932|12|06|df=y}}
| birth_place = [Jhulasan](/source/Jhulasan), then in [Baroda State](/source/Baroda_State), India
| alma_mater = [B. J. Medical College, Ahmedabad](/source/B._J._Medical_College%2C_Ahmedabad)
[Gujarat University](/source/Gujarat_University)
| death_date = {{deathdateandage|2020|10|04|1932|12|06|df=y}}
| death_place = [Venice, Florida](/source/Venice%2C_Florida), US
| occupation = [Neuroanatomist](/source/Neuroanatomist)
| spouse = Ursuline Zalokar
| children = 3, including [Sunita](/source/Sunita_Williams)
}}
'''Deepak Narmadashankar Pandya'''{{efn|{{langx|gu|Dīpaka Narmadāśaṅkara Paṇḍyā}}}} (6 December 1932 – 4 October 2020[{{cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/bostonglobe/name/deepak-pandya-obituary?pid=196979268|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627101143/https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/bostonglobe/name/deepak-pandya-obituary?pid=196979268|archive-date=27 June 2021 |title=MOHAN YADAV Obituary (2020) - Needham, MA - Boston Globe|publisher=legacy.com |access-date=27 June 2021}}]) was an [Indian American](/source/Indian_American) [neuroanatomist](/source/neuroanatomist) who is best known for his contributions to the understanding of cortical and subcortical brain connectivity in the [macaque](/source/macaque) using tract-tracing methods. He is the father of [NASA](/source/NASA) astronaut [Sunita Williams](/source/Sunita_Williams).
==Early life and career==
Deepak Narmadashankar Pandya was born on 6 December 1932, in [Jhulasan](/source/Jhulasan), then part of [Baroda State](/source/Baroda_State), in India. He was orphaned and completed his I.S. in 1953 from [Gujarat University](/source/Gujarat_University). After obtaining his M.D. degree from Gujarat University in 1957 (and interning in V.S. Hospital in [Junagadh](/source/Junagadh) till 1958), he went to the [United States](/source/United_States) and did his internship and residency training in Medicine in [Cleveland](/source/Cleveland), Ohio.{{citation needed|date=January 2026}}
In 1964, Pandya joined the Department of [Anatomy](/source/Anatomy) at [Case Western Reserve University](/source/Case_Western_Reserve_University), as a postdoctoral [fellow](/source/fellow). He moved to Boston in 1966 and joined the [Aphasia](/source/Aphasia) Research Center at the Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the Departments of Anatomy and Neurology at [Boston University](/source/Boston_University) School of Medicine as an Assistant [Professor](/source/Professor). During his [postdoctoral](/source/postdoctoral) [fellowship](/source/Fellowship_(medicine)) and subsequent period in Boston, Pandya focused his research investigations on cortico-[cortical](/source/Cerebral_cortex) connections. In 1969 his laboratory moved to Boston City Hospital. During this time he was appointed a lecturer in Experimental [Neuropathology](/source/Neuropathology) at Harvard Medical School, and he participated in teaching the [Neuroscience](/source/Neuroscience) course at both schools. In 1973, Pandya joined the Veterans Administration Medical Center in [Bedford, Massachusetts](/source/Bedford%2C_Massachusetts), as a staff internist. He practised clinical medicine while continuing his research studies and teaching, until his retirement in 1995. After this, Pandya moved his office to the Department of [Anatomy](/source/Anatomy) & [Neurobiology](/source/Neurobiology) at Boston University School of Medicine.[{{Cite web|url=http://www.bumc.bu.edu/anatneuro/our-people/faculty/pandya/|title=Deepak Pandya, M.D. » Anatomy & Neurobiology {{!}} Boston University|website=www.bumc.bu.edu|language=en|access-date=31 March 2017|archive-date=31 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331025337/http://www.bumc.bu.edu/anatneuro/our-people/faculty/pandya/|url-status=dead}}]
== Contributions and research ==
Pandya, along with many colleagues, made significant contributions in the field of connectivity of [cerebral cortex](/source/cerebral_cortex). Several postdoctoral and Ph.D. students received training under Pandya. His research works have been internationally recognised and he presented his work at conferences in North America and Europe. Prior to his death, he had continued his research studies on comparative brain architectonics in [monkey](/source/monkey)s and humans, as well as connectional studies in monkeys.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}
==Personal life==
He married [Slovene American](/source/Slovene_Americans) Ursuline Bonnie Zalokar, who resides in [Falmouth, Massachusetts](/source/Falmouth%2C_Massachusetts). They are the parents of [NASA](/source/NASA) astronaut [Sunita Williams](/source/Sunita_Williams).[{{Cite web|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/21/dad_proud_as_shuttle_heads_home/|title=Local dad proud as space shuttle heads home - The Boston Globe|website=www.boston.com|language=en|access-date=31 March 2017}}] He is a relative of [Haren Pandya](/source/Haren_Pandya).[{{cite news |title=Congress revives Haren Pandya murder case as Sunita Williams returns to Earth |url=https://english.varthabharati.in/india/congress-revives-haren-pandya-murder-case-as-sunita-williams-returns-to-earth |work=Vartha Bharati |date=19 March 2025 |access-date=23 May 2025}}]
==Notes==
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==References==
{{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pandya, Deepak}}
Category:Indian emigrants to the United States
Category:1932 births
Category:2020 deaths
Category:Case Western Reserve University faculty
Category:Harvard Medical School faculty
Category:Boston University faculty
Category:Gujarat University alumni
Category:People from Mehsana district
Category:American people of Gujarati descent
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Deepak Pandya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepak_Pandya) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepak_Pandya?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.