Ramakrishna Gopinath "Gopi" Balija , age 80, formerly of Bloomfield, NJ, passed away on Monday January 10, 2022. He was born in Bangalore, India but was raised in Chennai (Madras), India. He immigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City in 1967. He met his wife, Maria Balija (née Perez), on a blind date in 1972 and they married a year later.



Gopi was an early proponent of medical informatics. He founded the Strategic Informatics Resources Corporation in 1987 and developed Dental Aide, an early version of dental electronic medical records, in the early 1990s. However, too ahead of his time, his business did not enjoy the success he envisioned.



Gopi enjoyed traveling and visiting family and friends abroad. He was a long-time resident of both Montclair and Nutley, NJ. He is survived by his wife, Maria, his children, Tara and Keran, and his grandchildren, Oji Azim, Sakinah, and True.