UK-based Indian origin Dr. Jajini Varghes named as the 'Outstanding Young Person of the World 2020’
A proud moment for all Indians. A UK-based Indian origin plastic surgeon Dr. Jajini Varghese has been recognised by the Junior Chamber International as an ‘Outstanding Young Person of the World 2020' for her ‘incredible’ scientific contributions to diagnosing and treating breast cancer.
She has been awarded in the category of ‘Medical Innovation’ and was the one amongst ten other nominations from the UK.
She was involved in research at the University of Cambridge in collaboration with Harvard University and the Mayo Clinic (USA) that led to identifying the mutation in the ZNF365 gene associated with breast cancer, which has global ramifications in women with high breast density. This heritable mutation is now used worldwide as part of a panel to identify high-risk women to offer early treatment. Her work was published in several highly cited journals, including multiple papers in Nature Genetics.
The research that she undertook was applauded by the Junior Chamber International.
Varghese expressed her thoughts about her work and shared, "I am only an ordinary individual with an extraordinary urge to succeed and to alleviate suffering. I count excellence as the eventual result of a continual striving to do better. I count myself fortunate to be healthy, to love what I do, and to be able to help others."
Varghese is 39 years old and lives in London with her family. Her parents live in Muttom Haripad in Kerala, India. Currently, Varghese is a consultant in the Oncoplastic Breast Surgery at Royal Free Hospital and in University College London. She is also a lecturer on the UCL Athena Programme.
She is one of the few Indian doctors who have been awarded the Cambridge Commonwealth Full Scholarship to the University of Cambridge for completion of her MPhil and Ph.D. on the ‘Genetics of Breast Cancer’.
Seeing her friends and colleague suffer due to high course expenses related to the study of medicines, Varghese decided to do something about it. She was instrumental in setting up full scholarships for Indian students to study medicines 17 years back. And such scholars are then asked to devote their time and practice in an underserved area of India.
Her mission is life is lucid, she wants to do everything in her power to restore the lives of women affected by breast cancer.
Breast Cancer and India
After taking over cervical cancer, breast cancer has become a common form of cancer in the country.
It is the most common type of cancer amongst women and it accounts for approximately 14% of cancers in Indian women. If reports are to be trusted, then every four minutes, an Indian woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is on the rise, both in rural and urban India. A report from 2018 on Breast Cancer statistics recorded 1,62,468 new registered cases and 87,090 reported deaths.
Cancer survival becomes more difficult in higher stages of its growth, and more than 50% of Indian women suffer from stages 3 and 4 of breast cancer. However, the post-cancer survival rate in India is decent if not good.
One of the paramount reasons for the low survival rates of breast cancer is that the detection takes place late. The only way to change the scenario and save more lives is by increasing awareness about breast cancer.
It is a treatable disease and chances of survival are higher if it is detected in time.
What is Junior Chamber International and what does it do?
JCI is a non-profit international non-governmental organization. It is formed by young people between the age of 18 and 40 years and has members from about 110 countries. They aim to encourage young people to become active citizens and to participate in efforts towards economic and social development and international cooperation.
It gives awards to honour outstanding young people under the age of 40. The category for awards spans from academics to child welfare, medical innovation, business politics, and scientific advancement.
Varghese will be felicitated at the 2020 Junior Chamber International World Congress to be held Yokohama, Japan in November 2020.
