T. S. Kanaka or Thanjavur Santhanakrishna Kanaka, also known as Tanjore Santhana Krishna Kanaka, (31 March 1932 to 14 November 2018) was Asia's first female neurosurgeon[1][2][3][4] and one of the world's first few female neurosurgeons.[5] She was the first neurosurgeon in India to perform chronic electrode implants in the brain,[6] having been also the first to perform deep brain stimulation as early as in 1975.[7] She pioneered functional neurosurgery in the 1960s and 1970s[7] along with Prof. Balasubramaniam, Prof. S. Kalyanaraman; and received recognition for her research and contributions to the field of stereotactic surgery.[6] She is also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of Madras Neuro Trust.[8]