Jame Abraham, M.D., section chief of Hematology/Oncology at West Virginia University and the Bonnie Wells Wilson Distinguished Professor and Eminent Scholar in Breast Cancer Research, has received an award from the President of India for his work in cancer.

The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, presented Dr. Abraham with the special award last month during a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi – the President’s House. The award recognizes his contributions to breast cancer treatment and his dedication to cancer-related activities in India. He was chosen from among 150 nominees in the field of medicine across India.

His presidential award was one of eight instituted by the Pazhassiraja Charitable Trust to eminent personalities recognized as being leaders in their respective fields. Other awardees included Mr. Amithab Batchan, one of the most popular movie stars in Bollywood, India; Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (NASA equivalent in India); and Mr. Sashi Tharoor, the former Undersecretary General of the United Nations and the current cabinet minister of India.

“I was really humbled to receive the award for medicine,” said Abraham. “Last year it went to a famous cardiac surgeon in India, and the year before that a pioneer in cancer treatment in India received the award.”

“This award also shows that cancer doesn’t have any borders,” Abraham added. “Suffering and illness associated with the disease occurs in every part of the world.”

Abraham chairs the advisory board of the American Cancer Society’s India initiatives and is one of the founding leaders of the Indo-American Cancer Association, which has about 2,000 practicing oncologists of South East Asian origin practicing in the U.S. and U.K. He also is an advisor for the Tata Medical Center, a major cancer center that is being built in Kolkata, and plays a key role in building a pediatric oncology program at Calicut Medical College where he attended medical school.

Abraham credits West Virginia University for his accomplishments in cancer care. “WVU is my home and everything I achieved is due to the support of the University and its nurturing environment.”

Abraham also co-leads the Breast Cancer Research Program with Mike Ruppert, M.D., Ph.D., at WVU’s Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center.

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CONTACT: Amy Johns, HSC News Service
304-293-7087, johnsa@wvuh.com