V. Shanta

In this Indian name, the name Viswanathan is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Shanta.

V. Shanta
Pranab Mukherjee, President of India, presenting the Padma Vibhushan to Shanta
Born(1927-03-11)11 March 1927
Madras, Madras Presidency, British India
Died19 January 2021(2021-01-19) (aged 93)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
NationalityIndian
EducationMBBS, MD
Alma materMadras Medical College
OccupationChairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute
Awards

Viswanathan Shanta (11 March 1927 – 19 January 2021)[1] was an Indian oncologist and the chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai. She is best known for her efforts towards making quality and affordable cancer treatment accessible to all patients in her country.[2][3] She dedicated herself to the mission of organizing care for cancer patients,[4] study of the disease, research on its prevention and cure, spreading awareness about the disease,[5][6] and developing specialists and scientists in various subspecialties of oncology.[7] Her work won her several awards, including the Magsaysay Award, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award given by the Government of India.

She was associated with Adyar Cancer Institute since 1955, and held several positions, including that of the director of the institute, between 1980 and 1997. She served as a member of several national and international committees on health and medicine, including the World Health Organization's Advisory Committee on Health.[8]

  1. ^ "Dr V Shanta, Cancer Institute chairwoman, dies in Chennai". The Times of India. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dr. V. Shanta From Chennai Honoured With Padma Vibhushan For Her Service In The Field Of Cancer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Padmanabhan, Geeta (24 September 2017). "Express yourself without fear: Dr. V. Shanta". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Focus should be on early detection of cancer: Dr. V. Shanta". The Hindu. 20 September 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Early detection of cancer is key". The Hindu. 2 May 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Dr V Shanta (Columnist profile)". The Hindu. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Dr. V. Shanta – Chairman". www.cancerinstitutewia.in. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  8. ^ Divya Chandrababu (20 January 2021). "'To her, patients always came first': Cancer care pioneer dies at 93". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 22 January 2021.