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Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics, Vol. 7, No. 3, July-September, 2011, pp. 393-394 Obituary In fond memory of a Legend: Dr. Ketayun Ardeshir Dinshaw Sarbani Ghosh-Laskar Department of Radiation Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, India Dr Ketayun Ardeshir Dinshaw, an internationally renowned cancer specialist and former Director of Tata Memorial Centre, lost her personal battle to the same disease on 26 th August 2011, which she ironically fought through her professional career as a visionary for four decades. With her demise, we have now lost a great person, a fine doctor and a firm crusader against cancer. Born in a Parsi family in Kolkata on 16 th November 1943, she was motivated by her father, to become a doctor. She was trained at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, and continued to have a fond relationship with her teachers and friends from there till the very end. After her specialization in Radiotherapy and Oncology at Cambridge, she returned to India and worked tirelessly for the cause of cancer at the Tata Memorial Hospital for over 35 years from where she retired in November 2008, having served as its director for 13 years. As an outstanding doctor and administrator, she had the ability to bring out the best in the people around her, enabling her to bring about a sea change in many aspects of cancer management, education and research in the country. With her intense and persistent efforts, she brought the practice of Oncology and especially radiation oncology in India and more so at the Tata Memorial Centre on the world map of oncology care. A stickler for punctuality, decorum and ethics, she could find ways for delivering high-quality public services even in the government-funded mechanisms- signed, sealed and delivered through her trademark left handed green signature. She always had pertinent and practical views and policies to recommend. Her efforts brought special meaning to the state of "Institution before Individual". She was an Institution builder - ACTREC, the 60 acre research campus of Tata Memorial Centre, the Homi Bhabha Block at Tata Hospital and the Tata Medical Centre at Kolkata, to name a few. She was a part of the team spearheading the development of indigenous tele cobalt machine now called Bhabhatron, which is installed in about 20 Oncology centers across India and which India has donated through the IAEA to few other developing countries. An example of her zeal to get new and relevant technology into the country saw her role in establishment of the medical cyclotron on the TMH campus with the first PET in the country and followed soon by the first PET-CT (positron emission tomography) on the TMH campus itself. While the Tata Hospital was always known for its outstanding expertise and facilities, Dr. Dinshaw invigorated the spirit of cancer prevention, cancer research and international collaborations with the WHO, IAEA, UICC and several other organizations. Being a staunch patriot and an eternal optimist, in various international forums, she stood not just for India but for the cause of cancer in the entire developing world. She served as the President of the International Society for Radiation Oncology. She nurtured voluntary groups and NGO like the V Care, Woman′s Cancer Initiative, CPAA and several others. She was a serving board member of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and was awarded the lifetime achievement award by the Indian Nuclear Society and the Padmashree. She had a multifaceted personality. This great connoisseur of music and art was also an ardent admirer of the plant kingdom, ferrying lovely plants from all over the world. She had special respect and admiration for the serving and retired men and women in the armed forces and their families and extended immediate care to all who happened to need the services of the TMC. Her sensitivity to women and children was special and selfless. In her own way, she always made efforts to be a part of the families of her students and junior colleagues, by attending weddings, remembering birthdays and special occasions, and maintained relations with those not only in the city but also overseas. She had this special virtue of developing and maintaining lifelong relationships with individuals from different spheres of life. No wonder with her demise, a lot of people were left bereft with a sense of immense loss. Her family, patients, friends, colleagues and students at Tata Memorial and all over the world have lost their friend, philosopher and guide. It will be a tall order to live up to her exacting standards and expectations but her legacy needs to be carried forward. All of us in the Department of Radiation Oncology, TMC and the Radiation Oncology community in the country join all other professional colleagues and friends in prayers and convey deep sympathies and condolences on this great loss, not only to her family and friends, but also to the entire medical fraternity. Copyright 2011 - Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics The following images related to this document are available:Photo images[cr11106f1.jpg] |
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