Roche Pharma recognizes top innovators in Oncology with LEAP scholarship awards

New Delhi: Roche Pharma India has announced the winners of its Leading Engagements to Advance Patient Care in Oncology (LEAP) Award, a pioneering initiative designed to inspire innovation among final-year DM/DNB Oncology students across India.

This distinguished program seeks to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and clinical practice, empowering future oncologists to tackle real-world challenges in cancer care.

The LEAP program, which encourages strategic thinking and innovation across the cancer care continuum, has drawn significant interest from medical colleges and hospitals nationwide. This year, over 50 prestigious institutions participated, with students presenting solutions that address critical aspects of clinical care, patient experience, and healthcare policy.

A panel of distinguished judges, including Dr. Amit Rauthan, Head of Medical Oncology at Manipal Hospitals; Dr. Surinder Kher, a notable industry expert; and Gaur Sunder, Scientist at CDAC Pune, meticulously evaluated the submissions. The judging criteria focused on innovation, feasibility, impact on patient outcomes, and strategic foresight. 

The program’s inaugural edition, LEAP 2023-24, recognized five outstanding solutions that showcased exceptional problem-solving skills and potential for real-world implementation. The awardees, who received scholarships, certificates, and medals, include, Dr. Siddhesh Tryambake from Omega Hospital, Hyderabad, Dr. Madhavi Indani from Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore, Dr. Uddiptya Goswami from Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai, Dr. Vasanth Rooban Narasimman from Government Royepettah Hospital, Chennai and Dr. Vinodh Kumar Selvaraj from Madras Medical College, Chennai.

“We are immensely proud of the incredible solutions proposed by these bright young minds. The LEAP program underscores our commitment to doing what patients need next, nurturing the next generation of healthcare professionals, and ensuring they are well-prepared to tackle the challenges of tomorrow,” said Simpson Emmanuel, CEO & MD of Roche Pharma India.

Dr. Amit Rauthan, Medical Oncologist, Manipal Hospitals, Bengaluru praised, “Judging this challenge was a unique and rewarding experience. The innovative solutions proposed by the students have great potential to be implemented in clinical practice, proving beneficial in the long run. 

Dr. Surender Kher emphasized the rigorous evaluation process, noting, “We focused on the practical applicability of the solutions, their innovative use of technology, and the thoughtful approaches proposed by the participants. Our goal was to identify ideas that could be seamlessly implemented in real-world scenarios.”

Dr. Surender Kher, Executive Head – Clinical Research, Aster Hospitals, Bengaluru also expressed, “Evaluating all entries was a significant task for our jury. We focused on clinical practice applicability, the practicality of the solutions, the innovative use of technology, and the thoughtful approaches proposed by the applicants. Our aim was to assess how these innovative solutions could be effectively implemented in real- world practice.”

Dr. Gaur Sunder, Chief-NRCeS(MoHFW), Scientist-Health Informatics, Head – Education and Training (C-DAC ACTS and PACE), Pune, stated, “We believe these ideas have the potential to be realized in the future. I hope the participants will continue developing their ideas, transforming them into larger, implementable solutions that will benefit patients across the country.”

Dr. Suresh Babu, Professor & Head of Unit at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore, suggested, “LEAP is a very unique program that involves case problem-solving. It would be great to have such programs extended to even first and second-year grads if feasible. Providing scholarships to these students would give them sufficient time to engage in research and fully benefit from this innovative initiative.”

Dr. T Raja, Director of Medical Oncology at Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai, lauded, “I would like to thank the entire Roche team for this initiative and acknowledge the efforts from students across the country who have enthusiastically participated. The beauty of this program lies in its out-of-the-box thinking. Initially, I thought it was just another academic drill, but when I saw the challenge buckets that participants were asked to solve, I realized the program is very innovative and comprehensive. This is an effort towards preparing budding oncologists to think in a 360-degree dimensional way when they are facing patients in the field of oncology. This is great.”