SJF Medical Awards - 2nd Edition

Awardees

Awards Night

Achievements of Past Awardees

Discover the motivational tales of the 2023 awardees of the prestigious Sitaram Jaipuria Foundation Medical and Healthcare Excellence Awards. Honouring their extraordinary commitment to shaping a healthier world.

Excellence in Medicine and Healthcare

Prof. (Dr) Jeyaraj Durai Pandian

He is the current President-Elect of the World Stroke Organization (WSO) and the first Asian to hold this position. He initiated the neurological services and comprehensive stroke program at CMC Ludhiana in 2000. His centre provides neurological care for needy patients through the support of industrialists and philanthropists and has introduced several initiatives in the field of medical education. He was conferred the WSO Global Stroke Services Award in 2020 for his contributions to the field of stroke.

Recently, his centre was recognized by the Indian Council of Medical Research as a Collaborating Centre of Excellence in Biomedical Research. Dr Pandian has made significant contributions to stroke care services, stroke systems of care, epidemiology, and thrombolysis in low and middle-income countries. He closely works with the World Health Organization and the MoHFW, ICMR/DHR, and NHA in policy matters related to stroke and NCD.

The Sitaram Jaipuria Foundation salutes this tireless life-saver and appreciates his outstanding contribution to medicine and healthcare.

Emerging Young Leader in Medicine and Healthcare Award

Dr Karan Madan and Dr Deepak Padmanabhan shared this award jointly.

Dr Karan Madan

He is actively involved in clinical research and innovating newer techniques in Interventional Pulmonology. He has undertaken multiple investigator-initiated clinical trials leading to improved clinical care for patients undergoing bronchoscopy and endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS). One of his practice-changing works on ricothyroid lignocaine injection for bronchoscopy was awarded the AIIMS Research Excellence Award.

He initiated the paediatric EBUS-TBNA procedures in India. He was the first to describe the performance of transoesophageal bronchoscopic ultrasound-guided mediastinal lymph node aspiration and endobronchial ryobiopsy in children. Dr Madan has also developed patented devices and AI-based image analysis technologies for managing patients with respiratory diseases. His other contributions include research on the health effects of air pollution and pulmonary sarcoidosis.

The Sitaram Jaipuria Foundation salutes this young life-saver and recognizes his praiseworthy contribution to Interventional Pulmonology.



Dr Deepak Padmanabhan

Dr Padmanabhan’s interests include the ablation of complex arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation and entricular tachycardia and the implantation of devices to manage heart failure. His research interests include using and applying artificial intelligence and assisted ECG interpretation for diagnostic and predictive purposes.

His work in novel energy sources for cardiac ablation has earned him a catheter patent in the US. He is a mentor to the Bio-Design Program at IIT Kanpur and was part of the team that built the indigenous ventilator in 90 days during COVID-19. He runs the AI-ECG lab at his institute. He has aided in creating AI algorithms in digital stethoscopes for detecting cardiac murmurs and asymptomatic low ejection fraction.

The Sitaram Jaipuria Foundation salutes this young life-saver and recognizes his praiseworthy contribution to Cardiac Electrophysiology.

Exemplary Leadership in Rural Medicine and Healthcare Award

Dr Regi M George and Dr Lalitha Regi

Dr Regi M George and his wife, Dr Lalitha Regi, started working with tribals in Dharmapuri District's forested Sittilingi Valley in 1993. From a small mud and thatch hut, the Tribal Health Initiative has expanded to a full-fledged 35-bed secondary care hospital, servicing a 50-kilometer radius. The hospital caters to a population of about 1 lakh, 80% of whom are tribals. The community health program carried out by trained tribal girls and women has brought down infant and maternal mortality significantly. To address all determinants of health, they started an organic farmers' collective and supported livelihoods by forming an artisan’s society. They also rekindled the Gram Sabha, and the farmer's joint now runs the Panchayat. This unique model shows how true health can be achieved.

The Sitaram Jaipuria Foundation salutes these life-savers and recognizes their immense contributions to rural healthcare.

Smt. Gayatri Jaipuria Women's Medicine and Healthcare Excellence Award

Prof. (Dr) Pratibha Singhi

She developed the Paediatric Neurology and Neurodevelopment field in India and started the post-doctoral program to train younger generations. She has been ranked among the top 2% of scientists worldwide. Her research has provided scientific evidence for formulating guidelines and has led to paradigm changes in the management of children with neurocysticercosis, CNS infections, autism, and cerebral palsy.

Her expertise and advisory roles in UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank have helped formulate policies for child development and early childhood education. Prof (Dr) Singhi has been a mentor and role model for budding Paediatric Neurologists and has worked towards women's empowerment in and out of the workplace. Her global leadership as President of the International Child Neurology Association has made the country proud.

The Sitaram Jaipuria Foundation salutes this life-saver who is a source of inspiration to doctors and women across the country and recognizes her immense contributions to Paediatric Neurology and seminal contributions to the field of medicine.

Shri Ashwini Kumar Lifetime Achievement in Healthcare Award

Prof. Gursaran Pran Talwar

He is the visionary Founder and Director of the National Institute of Immunology and a pioneering figure in Biochemistry at AIIMS New Delhi, and he has made a profound impact on medical science and Immunology in India and globally. With over 600 peer-reviewed publications and revolutionary innovations like the Mycobacterium Indicus Pranii vaccine for leprosy and tuberculosis, Prof. Talwar's humility resonates in his remarkable achievements.

Even at the age of 97 years, actively leading as Director of Research at the Talwar Research Foundation, his work in reproductive health and cancer immunotherapy signifies an understated pursuit of excellence. Decorated with prestigious honours like Padma Bhushan, Legion d'Honneur and awards conferred worldwide, his transformative research continues to leave an enduring legacy, uplifting humanity in global scientific progress.

The Sitaram Jaipuria Foundation salutes this tireless life-saver and appreciates his outstanding contribution to medicine and healthcare.