Ranbaxy Science Foundation, the non-profit organization under Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL) to encourage and reward Indian scientists around the world, has presented the 3rd Ranbaxy Special Award in Public Health to Professor K Srinath Reddy, Professor of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), and president of Public Health Foundation of India. The award has been presented for the research contributions of Srinath in the field of epidemiology and prevention of cardio vascular diseases.
Through his research, Prof Reddy has helped to identify the nature and extent of risk factors contributing to the rapid rise of heart diseases in India and also charted the dynamics of health transition, which is transforming developing countries into a high-risk zone for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancers, cited the Foundation. Dr Nitya Anand, chairman, Ranbaxy Science Foundation, presented the award.
Professor K Srinath Reddy was awarded Padma Bhushan by the president of India in 2005, followed by various awards including ECAAR Global Peace Essay Award, adjudged by nine Nobel Laureates and other luminaries. He has been listed by the University Grants Commission as one of the top Indian researchers in Medical Sciences and Social Sciences and is the first Indian to deliver the prestigious Cutter Lecture at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The Ranbaxy Special Award in Public Health has earlier been conferred on S R Rao former commissioner of Surat and Dr Justice K Narayana Kurup former acting chief justice and judge of the Madras High court in recognition of their dynamic contributions towards improving the sanitation system in the aftermath of plague and imposing ban on smoking in public places respectively.
Ranbaxy Science Foundation is a non-profit organisation and was set up as an independent society in 1985 with the mission of encouraging and rewarding excellence in medical and pharmaceutical research. The Foundation has honoured 104 scientists for their contributions research and scientific contributions in the fields of medical and pharmaceutical sciences.