Renowned Infectious Disease Doc, Rutgers Professor Dies Of COVID While Treating Family In India

A Rutgers University professor and infectious disease expert who went to India to help his family during a ravenous wave of COVID-19 died of the virus himself, the university said in a statement.

Rajendra Kapila
Photo Credit: *Rutgers.edu*

Cecilia Levine

05/06/2021 12:00 p.m.

Dr. Rajendra Kapila, 81, founded Rutgers' Division of Infectious Diseases and was a professor of medicine at the university.

Kapila had been practicing for 50 years and was passionate about developing the university's infectious disease program.

According to his biography on the Rutgers website, Kapila was the assistant chief of medicine for the U.S. Army in Okinawa Japan, during the Vietnam conflict.

He is a founding member of the New Jersey Infectious Disease Society, and a recipient of the "Excellence in Teaching Award" from UMDNJ, and "Life Time Achievement" award from the Department of Medicine.

“Dr. Kapila was recognized worldwide and sought out for his legendary knowledge and extraordinary clinical acumen in diagnosing and treating the most complex infectious diseases,” the university said in a statement.

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