Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, was established in 1947, immediately after India gained independence. This was made possible due to the visionary leadership of stalwarts like the late Dr. Bhubaneswar Baruah, Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi—the first Chief Minister of Assam—and several other dedicated well-wishers. The people of Assam were filled with pride and happiness to have a medical college of their own.

Initially, it was an undergraduate institution focused on producing MBBS doctors. For postgraduate medical training, the college used to send its faculty to the United Kingdom, where most of them returned with prestigious qualifications like FRCS or MRCP in various medical and surgical fields. A few also studied specialized subjects like Cardiology or Neurology during their fellowship courses and later taught these specialties at Assam Medical College.

Until the late seventies, Neurology in Assam's medical colleges was generally taught by psychiatrists due to the lack of dedicated neurologists.

In earlier days, patients from Assam used to travel to the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, for check-ups—even for common problems like epilepsy, headache, giddiness, and palpitations—as well as for serious neurological illnesses, often as a last hope for a cure.

In the late seventies, Prof. K.V. Mathai began visiting Assam to treat neurological disorders and to deliver lectures and seminars on neuroscience in Dibrugarh and Guwahati. At that time, Prof. Mathai was regarded as a godfather by patients from Assam, and his healing touch was deeply sought after. His prescriptions were treasured and even proudly displayed by many.

It was Prof. Mathai who, during a seminar in Guwahati, urged the Government of Assam to promote the development of neuroscience in Dibrugarh and Guwahati. As a result of his efforts, Dr. Bhabesh Kakoty was selected to pursue an MS in Neurosurgery at CMC Vellore.

In 1987, Dr. Narayan Upadhyaya joined Assam Medical College as an Assistant Professor after completing his DM in Neurology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). At that time, the Neurology Department was functioning under the Department of Medicine, and Dr. Upadhyaya managed it single-handedly in its initial phase.

Later, the post of Registrar in Neurology was created to support the growing needs of the department. Subsequently, Dr. Kamal Rajkhowa, Dr. Himangshu Talukdar, and Dr. Binod Sarmah joined as Registrars in Neurology. For a short period, Dr. Marami Das and Dr. Papori Borah served as Assistant Professors of Neurology, while Dr. Anoopam Rabha joined as a Registrar.

In 2001, Neurology was officially separated from the Department of Medicine and established as an independent department at Assam Medical College, under the leadership of Dr. Narayan Upadhyaya.

In 2008, Dr. Binod Sarmah pursued a DM in Neurology at PGIMER, Chandigarh. After completing the course, he rejoined Assam Medical College as an Assistant Professor and has continued his dedicated service. He is currently serving as the Professor and Head of the Department of Neurology.

Under the leadership of Dr. Binod Sarmah, the first thrombolysis procedure for a stroke patient in Upper Assam was successfully performed in July 2021. Additionally, the first thrombolysis in a peripheral setting was carried out in February 2022 with the help of a Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU).

More than 100 stroke awareness programs have been conducted in various locations, and these initiatives are still ongoing. Due to the successful implementation of the stroke project, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, and ICMR-NCDIR have sanctioned several additional research projects—some of which are currently in progress, while others are set to begin soon.