IACA members are constantly recognized for their leadership and professional accomplishments around the globe, by various organizations. This month, IACA is proud to spotlight the following members and their achievements:
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Dr. Nandini Vallath
2015 Cancer Aid Society Palliative Care Award for Excellence and Leadership
Dr. Vallath is also a member of and advisor for IACA’s Palliative Care Initiative Committee
The SAARC Palliative Care annual award instituted by the Cancer Aid Society recognizes excellence and leadership in palliative care amongst doctors, paramedics and social workers towards cancer patients from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Dr. Vallath was recognized for her exceptional contributions to palliative care. Her most recent accomplishments include the amendment of the NDPS Act to pave way for facile access to opioid-based pain medication, coordinating an expert team to develop the national policy document for palliative care for India, and developing curricula and course material for medical professionals to integrate pain management and palliative care with mainstream health care. She established the first integrated and holistic palliative care program in India in a corporate setting, at the Bangalore Institute ofOncology, and was instrumental in bringing charitable home-based care services to remote areas near Mysore.
You can read more about Dr. Vallath’s contributions to the field of palliative care in India, here.
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Dr.Kanti Rai
2014 Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology
The highest honor conferred by the American Society of Hematology, the 2014 Wallace H. Coulter Award for achievement in hematology was presented to Dr. Kanti Rai. The Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology is bestowed on an individual who has been a vital contributor to the field of hematology, demonstrating lifetime achievement and leadership in research, education, and practice. Dr. Rai, of Hofstra North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) School of Medicine, has a career spanning 50 years and involving landmark achievements in clinical leukemia research, steadfast commitment to education and mentoring, and exceptional patient care. Dr. Rai received the award at the 56th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Francisco on December 7th, 2014.Dr. Rai has been involved in diagnosing and treating CLL for almost 40 years and his publication of the “Rai” prognostic categorization of CLL in Blood in 1975 was a seminal paper incorporating basic clinical findings into a powerful prognostic schema that continues to be used by physicians and clinical investigators today.
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Dr. Sundar Jagannath
IACA Award for Outstanding Contribution to Hematology
This annual special recognition award of the IACA honors a person of Indian heritage who has made outstanding contributions to the field of hematology care and/or research. Dr. Jagannath is an active member of the American College of Physicians, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology and a Project Review Committee member for the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium. He has published extensively on topics concerning multiple myeloma and bone marrow transplantation, and is the editor in chief of Clinical Lymphoma & Myeloma and a peer reviewer for many other medical journals.