Talks by Eminent Faculty
Dr. John Kelly, MD, MPH, LM
Founding President of American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Adjunct Faculty, Preventive Medicine, Loma Linda University Health, California, USA.
Dr. Kelly completed his undergraduate studies in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, graduating Summa Cum Laude as a McMurran Scholar. He completed the Dual MD/MPH Degree Program at Loma Linda in Epidemiology with honors. He is trained in Preventive and Lifestyle Medicine, and has done private and government-funded research in Lifestyle Medicine. He co-authored ACLM’s Official Board Review Course in Lifestyle Medicine, co-chairs ACLM’s Expert Panel, and serves as adjunct faculty at Loma Linda University. He currently teaches Lifestyle Medicine nationally in USA using leading-edge intensive LM training programs.
Dr. V. Mohan, MBBS, MD, PhD, DSc
Chairman and Chief of Diabetology, Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialties Centre
Dr. V. Mohan oversees a chain of 49 diabetes centres across 8 states of India and has over 500,000 registered diabetes patients in his centres. He is also President and Director of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, the Asia’s largest stand-alone diabetes research centre. He has published over 1330 papers in peer-reviewed journals. This includes 864 original articles, 307 review articles and invited editorials and 162 chapters to textbooks on Diabetes. His research has attracted 135,000 citations an ‘h index’ of 135. Received over 180 awards including the prestigious Dr. B.C. Roy National Award by the Medical Council of India and the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Centenary Award from the Indian Council of Medical Research, the highest award for Biomedical research in India. He was conferred the Dr. Harold Rifkin Distinguished International Service in the Cause of Diabetes Award by the American Diabetes Association and he is the first Indian to receive this award. Recently he has been conferred the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE). Dr. Mohan is one of the few medical doctors in India to have been awarded the FRSE. For his extensive contribution in the field of diabetes, in 2012 Dr. Mohan was awarded Padma Shri the fourth highest civilian awards given by the Govt. of India.
Dr. Richard Hart, MD, DrPH
President, Loma Linda University Health, California, USA
Dr. Richard Hart has served Loma Linda University Health since 1972, including serving as chair of the School of Public Health’s Department of Health Sciences, director of the Center for Health Promotion, chair of the School of Medicine’s Department of Preventive Medicine, dean of the School of Public Health, and president (previously chancellor) and CEO of the University. Hart’s visionary leadership was key in the development of the organization’s San Bernardino campus, which opened in 2016 and is a major Loma Linda University Health initiative to improve the health and education of the San Bernardino region. The unique model includes a Federally Qualified Health Center, the San Manuel Gateway College offering health technician certificates, and training for medical residents, medical students, and techs. He is also president of Adventist Health International, a management consulting organization for Seventh-day Adventist hospitals and clinics in developing countries. In addition, he is a consultant to the World Health Organization, has established health promotion services in numerous hospitals, and was responsible for developing the national health plan for the Marshall Islands under the U.S. Department of the Interior. Hart also served as a consultant in Tanzania in the 1970s, first working as the head of the community health department at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre and later as chief of party for the Ministry of Health based in Dar es Salaam. As a student at Loma Linda University, Hart’s early involvement in student missionary work was key in the development of Students for International Mission Service and Social Action Community Health System — a local low-cost healthcare system for the medically underserved that operates to this day. He holds a doctor of medicine degree from Loma Linda University, a doctorate of public health from Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Walla Walla University.
Dr. Mammen Chandy
Director, TATA Medical center, Kolkata
Dr. Mammen Chandy, an alumnus of the Christian Medical College Vellore, is a pioneer in the field of bone marrow transplantation in India. He was involved in setting up the first sustained bone marrow transplantation programme in the country, in Christian Medical College, Vellore in 1986. He taught for 30 years in the college from where he graduated. He had done his Fellowship in the Hematology and Pathology at Westmead Center, Sydney, Australia and obtained his FRACP and FRCPA in 1985. After his fellowship, he rejoined in the Department of Medicine in CMC and started his extensive work in the field of hematology. He became the pioneer in developing the field of hematology and bone marrow transplantation in India, which was started as the Bone Marrow Transplant Programme in 1986. In India, CMC, Vellore was the first to do a Bone Marrow Transplant in a patient with Thalassemia in 1986.Furthermore, his team developed HLA laboratory, an assay for measuring Busufan levels by using HPLC method, as well as established Diagnostic molecular biology tests for blood disorders. After his retirement from CMC, Vellore, Chandy was given another challenging position as the Director of Tata Medical Center, Kolkata, where he has successfully set up a bone marrow transplant unit. In order to honour his contribution in the field of medicine, Chandy was honoured with various awards including Padma Shri and the prestigious Dr. B.C Roy Award by the Medical Council of India. In January 2019, Chandy was awarded Padma Shri for his contribution in the field of medicine.
Dr. George M. Varghese
Head, Department of Infectious Diseases, CMC, Vellore
Dr. Varghese is a Professor and the Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India, where he underwent his undergraduate and postgraduate medical training. His journey to become a renowned clinician, teacher and researcher spans over three decades with extensive training in infectious diseases and tropical medicine in many centres of excellence, such as London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Wayne State University, USA. Dr Varghese has been an expert in the field of infectious diseases and global health and currently serves on several national and international committees, including the expert committee of the Indian Council of Medical Research, the Governing Council of the Clinical Infectious Diseases Society and Médecins Sans Frontières. He has been honoured with several recognitions such as the Guerrant International Young Investigator Award by the Infectious Disease Society of America, the MG Alexander Award in Tropical Medicine by the Clinical Infectious Diseases Society and the Linnaeus-Palme Visiting Professor by the Swedish Government for the pioneering work in rickettsial infections. Apart from these recognitions, Dr Varghese is also a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and s Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. Dr Varghese is passionate about translating research from the bench to bedside at community level to combat tropical infections. Recently, he was awarded a Senior Fellowship by the Wellcome Trust DBT Alliance. He has published numerous papers in national and international journals.