Prafulla Desai

Prafulla B. Ragubhai Desai is an Indian surgical oncologist and a former chairman of the Research Advisory Committee on Oncology of the Indian Council of Medical Research.[1][2] He is credited with the first bone marrow transplantation in India, which he performed with his team in 1983.[3] He is a former director and superintendent at Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai (1973–1995) and continues his association with the institution as their professor emeritus.[4] He is one of the founders of the Rural Cancer Centre established by Tata Memorial Centre at Barshi, Mumbai[5] and serves Breach Candy Hospital as a surgical oncologist[6] and the Indo-Global Summit on Head and Neck Oncology (IGSHNO) as a member of their national faculty.[7]

Roy is a recipient of the Wockhardt Medical Excellence Award (2003) of the Harvard Medical International,[8] Dhanwanthari Award of the Dhanwanthari Foundation,[9] and Lifetime Achievement Award (2016) of the International Congress on Cancer,[10] the Mucio Athayde International Cancer Award (1998) of the International Union Against Cancer[11] and the Karmayogi Puraskar of the Bombay Medical Aid Foundation.[12] Married to Meena, a medical doctor,[13] he is associated with Care India Medical Society, a charitable organization involved in community service related to oncology,[14] and participates in social initiatives on cancer.[15] The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1981, for his contributions to medical science.[16]