Siddhartha Mukherjee

Siddhartha Mukherjee
Mukherjee in 2017
Born (1970-07-21) 21 July 1970 (age 54)
New Delhi, India
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
Known for
SpouseSarah Sze
Children2
AwardsRhodes Scholarship
Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (2011)
Guardian First Book Award (2011)
Padma Shri (2014)
Scientific career
FieldsImmunology
Cancer epidemiology
Genetic epidemiology
InstitutionsColumbia University
ThesisThe processing and presentation of viral antigens (1997)
Websitesiddharthamukherjee.com

Siddhartha Mukherjee (Bengali: সিদ্ধার্থ মুখার্জী; born 21 July 1970)[1] is an Indian-American physician, biologist, and author. He is best known for his 2010 book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, that won notable literary prizes including the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction,[2] and Guardian First Book Award,[3] among others. The book was listed in the "All-Time 100 Nonfiction Books" (the 100 most influential books of the last century) by Time magazine in 2011.[4] His 2016 book The Gene: An Intimate History made it to #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list,[5] and was among The New York Times 100 best books of 2016,[6] and a finalist for the Wellcome Trust Prize and the Royal Society Prize for Science Books.

After completing secondary school education in India, Mukherjee studied biology at Stanford University, obtained a D.Phil. from University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and an M.D. from Harvard University. He joined New York–Presbyterian Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center in New York City in 2009. As of 2018, he is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology.[7]

Featured in the Time 100 list of most influential people, Mukherjee writes for The New Yorker and is a columnist in The New York Times. He is described as part of a select group of doctor-writers (such as Oliver Sacks and Atul Gawande) who have "transformed the public discourse on human health",[8] and allowed a generation of readers a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of science and medicine.[9] His research concerns the physiology of cancer cells, immunological therapy for blood cancers, and the discovery of bone- and cartilage-forming stem cells in the vertebrate skeleton.[10]

The Government of India conferred on him its fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 2014.[11]

  1. ^ Rogers, Kara. "Siddhartha Mukherjee: Indian-born American physician, scientist, and writer". www.britannica.com. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  2. ^ "Pulitzer for US-Indian Siddhartha Mukherjee's book". BBC. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  3. ^ Flood, A. (1 December 2011). "Biography of cancer wins Guardian First Book award". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  4. ^ Cruz, Gilbert (17 August 2011). "All-TIME 100 Nonfiction Books". Time. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  5. ^ "The New York Times Best Sellers". The New York Times. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  6. ^ New York Times Sunday Book Review Editorial Staff (24 November 2010). "100 Notable Books of 2010". New York Times Magazine. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Siddhartha Mukherjee, author-doctor, is guest at Express Adda today". The Indian Express. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  8. ^ Mackovich, Ron (8 March 2018). "Renowned oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee named USC's 2018 commencement speaker". USC News. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  9. ^ Solomon, Andrew (22 February 2018). "Literature about medicine may be all that can save us". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  10. ^ "Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, DPhil". Columbia Stem Cell Initiative (CSCI). Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  11. ^ "Indo-American Siddhartha Mukherjee calls Padma Shri a great Honor". IANS. Biharprabha News. Retrieved 27 January 2014.