Dr. K.P. Karunakaran

Dr. K.P. Karunakaran was appointed to the Saginaw Valley State University Board of Control in 2003. Dr. Karu, as he is known to his patients, received his medical degree from Madras University in India, and studied at the Royal College of Surgeons in the United Kingdom. He has been an assistant professor of surgery at the Saginaw campus of the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine since 1994, and taught in India before coming to the United States in 1978.

Dr. Karu has a practice in Saginaw specializing in general surgery, and is a staff surgeon at Saint Mary’s and Covenant Health Care. Dr. Karu enjoys working with students and believes teaching is a way of giving back to his community. He applied for his appointment to the Board of Control because of his interest in the academic field. By establishing this scholarship, Dr. Karu wishes to assist and encourage students from India to come to the United States and pursue degrees at SVSU.

The scholarship fund was established in 2006.