Dr. Uma Kant Misra Ph.D.

Dr. Uma Kant Misra, age 94, passed away peacefully on Thursday, September 18, in Cary, North Carolina. He was born on December 3, 1930, in a small village near Kanpur, India, to Visheswar Dayal Misra and Sukh Devi Misra.

A pioneering scholar, Dr. Misra dedicated his life to education, research, and family. In 1956, he became the first person from his village to pursue higher education in the United States. After he earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Kansas State University in 1959, he embarked on a journey across the western United States by Greyhound

bus, visiting the region's spectacular National Parks. He then began his academic career with fellowship appointments at Iowa State University and Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Misra later returned to India to serve as a professor at the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute in New Delhi, where he mentored numerous graduate

students toward their Ph.Ds. It was in New Delhi that he met the love of his life, Dr. Rama Khanna. They were married for 54 years until her passing in 2018.

Between 1965 and 1971, Dr. Misra traveled internationally for research assignments, living in London, England, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1971, he returned to India and continued his tenure at the Patel Chest Institute until 1985. His career eventually brought him back to the U.S. in 1985. He and his family settled in the burgeoning Research Center Triangle Park. He soon joined the faculty of the Department of Pathology at Duke University Medical Center, from where he retired as Professor

Emeritus in 2014 at the age of 84.

Dr. Misra was widely published and enjoyed a long, distinguished, and illustrious career as a scientist, focusing his research on Prostate cancer. He was preceded in death by his ambitious and trailblazing wife, Dr. Rama Misra, who shared his passion for education and research.

He is survived by his children: Rashmi Caton (Ethan Caton), Veena Misra (Avinash Ghirnikar), and Saurabh Misra (Kevin Cable); grandchildren: Anastasia Caton (Jarrod Rainey), Supriya Caton, Sonia Damiano, and Anya Damiano; and great-grandsons, Rohan Rainey and Leon Rainey.

Dr. Misra enjoyed gardening, reading, traveling, and being with his family. He took tremendous pride in the many accomplishments of his children and grandchildren, who went on to become engineers, lawyers, and doctors. Dr. Misra embodied the American Dream. During his retirement, he read voraciously about U.S. history, learning the flaws and strengths of the only country in the world where his improbable story was possible. He was also an avid reader of scientific literature. He was the rock and foundation of his family, admired for his wisdom, warmth, wit, and unwavering support. His legacy lives on through his loved ones, his students, and the many lives he touched.

He will be deeply missed.

A service to celebrate his life will be held at 9:30 am, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at L. Harold Poole Funeral Service Chapel, 944 Old Knight Road, Knightdale, NC 27545.