Mumbai, April 19: Dr. Gagandeep Kang, Executive Director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) and the current chair of the WHO Southeast-Asia region’s Immunisation Technical Advisory Group, has been named as a fellow of the Royal Society, London. Kang, a decorated virologist, is the first Indian woman scientist who has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, the oldest scientific academy in the world which has been in existence for 360 years.
The Royal Society is an independent scientific academy of the UK and the Commonwealth, dedicated to promoting excellence in science.
Kang’s work has straddled many disciplines as she has over the past 25 years, conducted research into the transmission, development and prevention of enteric infections among children. The virologist has played an instrumental role in developing two indigenous vaccines against rotavirus and typhoid. Kang played a leading role in the development of the rotavirus vaccine (to prevents lakhs of diarrhoeal deaths among children) project. The vaccine is scheduled to be a part of the universal immunisation programme for India but is undergoing additional trials. Her team is currently working out the disease burden.
“She and her collaborators built national rotavirus and typhoid surveillance networks. They established laboratories to support vaccine trials and conducted clinical trials of two WHO pre-qualified vaccines, made by two Indian companies. As the first woman Fellow of the Royal Society working in India, she is a trail-blazer,” commented K Vijayraghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government.
The WHO’s South East Asia Region Organisation (SEARO) estimates that globally the rotavirus kills approximately 453,000 children under the age of five every year, and of whom 1,27,000 children are from Southeast Asia and almost a lakh from India.
Meanwhile a statement on her biography from the Royal Society said, “She (Kang) is investigating the complex relationships infection, gut function and physical and cognitive development, and seeking to build a stronger human research in India,” while announcing the names of 51 distinguished scienshes With Loved Ones During the Holiest Month in Islam">Ramadan Mubarak 2024 Images & HD Wallpapers for Free Download Online: Share Happy Ramzan Greetings, Quotes and Wishes With Loved Ones During the Holiest Month in Islam