Medindia Interviews

Medindia's Interviews include insightful perspectives from leading doctors and stalwarts in their professions. These exclusive interviews speak of new trends and developments in medical sciences and healthcare that have made a deep impact in the society.

Dr. Francis Delmonico, President-elect of World Transplantation Society

Dr. Francis Delmonico, President-elect of World Transplantation Society

Transplant Surgeon
Dr. Francis Delmonico is in Chennai for a special reason. Though India's record of organ donation is dismally low, the organ donor rate in the southern state of TamilNadu with its capital at Chennai is 1.2 per million population-15 times the national average!

Dr. Alison Bale

Dr. Alison Bale

chiropractors
Dr. Alison Bale quotes the founder of modern medicine, the Greek Physician Hippocrates, ""if you want to understand the health of the body, you have to understand the health of the spine."" Sharing her expertise she explains,""Chiropractic focuses on the joints, bones, muscles and ligaments of the spine, and how the movement of the spine relates to the function of the nervous system. It isn't a 'treatment' as such. Chiropractic began from an observation that if you apply specific adjustments to the bones of the spine, people's health improves. The 'focus', if you like, is to facilitate a person's own healing, and to restore and improve the body's capacity to absorb and respond to the stresses and strains placed upon it.

Dr Sumer Sethi, MD

Dr Sumer Sethi, MD

Sr Consultant Radiologist
Dr Sumer Sethi, MD, Sr Consultant Radiologist at VIMHANS, Delhi and Director of Teleradiology Providers, a unit of Prime Telerad Providers Pvt Ltd. An author of many academic papers and books on radiology, Dr Sethi specializes in musculoskeletal and neuroradiology.

Ann Gonsalvez

Ann Gonsalvez

Vice President of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of India (MSSI)
Ann Gonsalvez, Vice President of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of India (MSSI)

Mr. Conan Dumenil and Mr. Gerry Martin

Mr. Conan Dumenil and Mr. Gerry Martin

Young Naturalist Camp
The Gerry Martin's Project with The Young Naturalist Camp and share their experience on the positive impact camps have on children

Dr. Raj B Singh, MD, FRCP, FCCP

Dr. Raj B Singh, MD, FRCP, FCCP

Medical Director
Dr. Raj B Singh, MD, FRCP, FCCP Medical Director, Chest Foundation of India and Senior Respiratory Consultant, Apollo Hospitals, speak on the challenges in treating asthma in India and the need to step up asthma treatment awareness among the general public.

R. Satyanarayanan

R. Satyanarayanan

Treasurer, Hemophilia Society
R. Satyanarayanan, Treasurer, Hemophilia Society, Madras Chapter brings to zilch the general belief that hemophilia can lead to depression and even prompt suicidal tendencies. His happy life with an understanding wife, two pretty little daughters, a job and a mission to reach out to suffering hemophiliacs, belies the fact that he needs an infusion of clotting factor concentrate into his veins on a daily basis to prevent continuous bleeding.

Dr. P. Senthilkumar

Dr. P. Senthilkumar

Pulmonologist
Dr. P. Senthilkumar, Pulmonologist of 'Asthma, TB and Chest Clinic', Chennai, South India, to inform on the significance of World TB Day 2011.

Dr. Georgi Abraham, MD, FRCP

Dr. Georgi Abraham, MD, FRCP

Consultant Nephrologist
Dr. Georgi Abraham, MD, FRCP, Founder Trustee TANKER foundation, Consultant Nephrologist Madras Medical Mission Hospital and Executive Member of the World Kidney Day by the International Society of Nephrology speak on the link between kidney health and heart health and give simple tips to readers for healthy maintenance of kidneys.

Dr. Gita Arjun, A.B. (USA) FACOG

Dr. Gita Arjun, A.B. (USA) FACOG

Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Director
Dr. Gita Arjun, A.B. (USA) FACOG, Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Director, E.V.Kalyani Medical Centre, Chennai, South India, and author of the book Passport to a Healthy Pregnancy

Dr. Vivek Khemka, MD,

Dr. Vivek Khemka, MD,

Oncology and Palliative Medicine
Dr. Vivek Khemka, MD, who specializes in Oncology and Palliative Medicine, and is visiting India from Phoenix, Arizona in the USA. He is a life member of the Indian Association of Palliative Care and is also executive director for the EPEC-India project in addition to being part of several other international organizations working on improving palliative care in India. Dr. Khemka observed that Palliative care in India has made significant progress over the last two decades due to the concerted efforts of several Indian and international organizations. Palliative care is applicable in all healthcare settings from the home to clinics to hospitals.

Dr. P.B. Lohiya

Dr. P.B. Lohiya

Professor
Professor and Dr. P.B. Lohiya, the Chairman of Indian Academy of Acupuncture Science

Mr. Sunil Kumar

Mr. Sunil Kumar

E-Cigarette Company in India
Mr. Sunil Kumar of Steamz, the E-Cigarette Company in India, explains to Medindia, his reasons for promoting e-cigarettes as opposed to conventional cigarettes with tobacco.

Dr. Suniti Solomon

Dr. Suniti Solomon

Founder-Director of the(YRG CARE)
Dr. Suniti Solomon, Founder-Director of the Y.R. Gaitonde Center for AIDS Research and Education (YRG CARE), a premier HIV/AIDS care and support centre in Chennai and heard her insight on tackling this serious pandemic that almost destroys a person more emotionally than physically, given the social stigma attached to it. Dr. Suniti Solomon and her colleagues documented the first evidence of the HIV infection in India in 1986. She is the Indian Principal Investigator of several pioneering HIV research studies and has published extensively on HIV epidemiology, prevention, care and support, biomedical research, research ethics and gender issues. She has deep interest in community education and mobilization and leads an effort that supports a Phase I HIV vaccine trial at Chennai with community education and volunteer enrollment.

Kanchana

Kanchana

Transgender
Transgender Kanchana's life is very similar to the stuff nightmares are made of. Yet she had the courage to rise above her traumatic past, shelve her miserable present and make a documentary that focuses on the challenges of the differently abled. Kanchana is the youngest transgender documentary film maker among other transgender directors who screened their documentaries at the Russian Cultural Centre, Chennai, thanks largely to the efforts of Alliance Française de Madras and the Sahodari Foundation, founded by Ms. Kalki Subramaniam, India's leading transgender celebrity and activist. Kanchana's maiden attempt, 'Nambikkai', a documentary on Hope, showcases the life of the differently abled.

Jerry P.

Jerry P.

Professional Mountaineer
Jerry P. a professional mountaineer who goes on regular expeditions conquering like an emperor one summit after another.

R. Lavanya

R. Lavanya

Director, Sundar Diabetics Dezire
R. Lavanya, Director, Sundar Diabetics Dezire, the brand that introduced for the first time in India, a whole range of food products and Natural Sugar Substitute especially suitable for diabetics and the health watcher.

Meena Dhadha

Meena Dhadha

Founder and Director, Mukti India, NGO
Meena Dadha, Founder and Director, Mukti India, an NGO that employs skilled craftsmen as well as physically and mentally challenged workers to give amputees and polio victims, free prostheses and freedom from crutches. Mukti has organized several camps in India and abroad to give away artificial limbs and calipers free of cost to people who would otherwise have remained crippled for life. Over a thousand artificial limbs were recently shipped free of cost to Sri Lanka and fitted at a foot camp organized in the country.

David Kinchin

David Kinchin

Author and Trainer on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
David Kinchin, author of 'Supporting Children with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder' (2001), 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the Invisible Injury' (2005), 'A Guide to Psychological Debriefing' (2007) to name a few, assures that help is at hand. He also wrote the course material for 'Certificate in Living and Working with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)', a distant learning programme to help PTSD victims and aspiring counsellors. Kinchin himself a victim of the condition has now become the leading expert of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in UK and around the world. He shares his understanding of PTSD experiences with Medindia.

Ravi Samuel

Ravi Samuel

Cognitive Behavior Psychotherapist trained at National Hospital, Queen's Square, London and certified by the Rehabilitation Council of India as Rehabilitation Professional
Ravi Samuel, a Cognitive Behavior Psychotherapist trained at National Hospital, Queen's Square, London and certified by the Rehabilitation Council of India as Rehabilitation Professional. With over 20 years of experience in treating people with various mental illnesses, Ravi Samuel provides Cognitive Rehabilitation for patients with Alzheimer's disease, brain damage, dementia and related disorders. He is the Founder of an NGO called Vision Age India that offers solutions to families of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other geriatric diseases.