The journey from the heart to the mind
In early December the Indian Weekender had published a story on how the big Christchurch earthquake had driven Team IWK to look to be able to contribute to the after effects of the quake in a manner that the contribution is ongoing and it grows over time. This journey had taken us to New Delhi where the team visited the Jai Prakash Narayan Trauma Centre and this initiated a dialogue between the visionaries of three countries – New Zealand, India and the United States. We also had introduces some specialists who are to be involved in the proposed project.
Taking the story further we now have Dr. Sagar Galwankar, MBBS, DNB, FACEE (INDIA), MPH. Diplomat. ABEM (USA) Chief Executive Officer of the INDO-US Emergency and Trauma Collaborative,Faculty of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida, Jacksonville, USA, Chairman of the Academic College of Emergency Experts in India who has written to the Indian Weekender.
Building a KIWI-INDO-USA partnership in health sciences and technology: The gateway to growth!
Building positive partnerships is the core foundation of progress! This is a fact which is not only known but also successfully tested. Health Research, Health Education and HealthCare are key areas where science and technology finds a major foot hold for its sheer existence. Today the major challenge to any nation is the health of its citizen. The health indicators steer the economy and its growth be it the most developed economy or the economies in transition. No nation is immune from potential for diseases, disorders, natural disasters and developing strategies to tackle the challenges.
It is these challenges which are the window of opportunities wherein if partnerships are built between Institutions, Individuals and nations then a positive progress can be made in bettering the health of the citizens and thus improving the global health at large.
Recently there has been a tremendous focus on building partnerships between nations with emerging economies. The KIWI partnership is one such important partnership which is yet to be capitalized for bettering the health of the world.
The success of the existing partnership between India and the United States in the field of Emergency and Trauma Medical Sciences (INDUSEM) has resulted in exponential growth of Emergency and Trauma - Research, Education and HealthCare in India. A decade INDUSEM has facilitated policy and growth of Trauma Centers, A strong Disaster Response system, a single emergency telephone number and landmark research and innovations done in the field of Emergency Medicine and Trauma. Today the results of these innovations is saving lives in India and modifying health policy for progressive growth. INDUSEM has cemented better relations between India and the United States building on collaborations between Individuals, Institutions and various agencies of the Governments of United States and India.
Recently Visionary leaders from New Zealand (Indian Weekender) met up with Leaders of INDUSEM and also had detailed discussions with the Science and Technology Minister of India Dr. Harsha Vardhan. It was decided that a conscious effort be made to develop the KIWI partnership with INDUSEM.
Exchange of Knowledge, Joint Research and Education Opportunities, Collaborations between Physician Leaders, partnerships between Health Institutions will be the fundamental to bringing the KIWI partnership to INDUSEM initiative.
Health Development is one of the most vibrant economic aspects which no nation can ignore. By bringing the perspectives and potentials of New Zealand to the world stage, joint education undertakings, joint research initiatives in Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and key development initiatives in improving health care by incorporating technology, can open new doors for economic growth in New Zealand.
The United States partnership with India has catapulted the growth of Electronic Health Records, Nano Biotechnology for diagnosing and treating patients with Infectious Diseases, Heart Disorders and Cancer, Sonography Sciences, Simulation Education, Drug Development and HealthCare Systems development.
The creation of India’s First Paper Less Electronic Health Recording System in the largest Medical Hospital and College the All India Institute of Medical Sciences under the leadership of Professor Dr. Deepak Aggarwal, Building of the largest trauma emergency care health system and training doctors across India by leaders like Professor Dr. Sanjeev Bhoi and Professor Dr. Aggarwal, patenting the Nobel Prize potential technology of point of care diagnostics in infectious diseases and cancer by Professor Dr. Shyam Mohapatra from USA are some of the key achievements of the INDUSEM partnerships which have directly impacted growth of industry and Nano Biotechnology in India.
Recently the Government of the largest state of India Uttar Pradesh launched the Silicon Valley –UP Government championed SVADESH program focused on HealthCare Investments in Education, Research and Care in India by the USA Silicon Valley Partners. This is considered the largest ever Foreign Direct Investment project in India.
Keeping the above in perspective the Government, Health Institutions, Research Bodies in New Zealand should now be looking keenly to join this initiative by Indian Weekender in partnership with INDUSEM to create similar opportunities in New Zealand. Bringing the patented technologies from United States to benefit the health care system in New Zealand and partnering with India which produces over 30,000 English Speaking Physicians and Health Scientists annually can definitely impact the New Zealand Growth Story.
Inviting the INDUSEM leaders and key players in policy making New Zealand should take the steps for partnership geared at positive progress.
It is well known that Success is only measured once there is success. The path to success begins with creatively converting challenges into opportunities.
Collaboration is the key step on the path of success!
Indian Professor is inducted to Florida Inventors Hall of Fame
- Indian Weekender Exclusive
Shyam Mohapatra, PhD, a pioneer of applied biomedical nanotechnology, was among six inventors announced as the first inductees into the newly established Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. Dr. Mohapatra joins Thomas Edison (1847-1931), the most prolific inventor in U.S. history, and John Gorrie, MD (1803-1855), the father of air conditioning and refrigeration, as members of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. Other 2014 inductees are Robert Cade, MD (1927-2007), a University of Florida professor who developed the hydrating sports drink Gatorade; William Glenn, PhD (1926-2013), a Florida Atlantic University professor who invented the high-definition camera for NASA; and Shin-Tson Wu, PhD (1953- ), a University of Central Florida professor whose liquid crystal research has widely impacted display technology worldwide.
Indian Weekender caught up with Dr Mohapatra to bring its readers his profile. Dr. Shyam S. Mohapatra is a distinguished health professor, Associate Dean at the College of Pharmacy, Vice Chair of Research for Internal Medicine, Director of the Translational Medicine-USF Nanomedicine Research Center at the University of South Florida, and a Research Career Scientist and Principle Investigator at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, FL.
An accomplished scientist and researcher; Dr. Mohapatra is recognized nationally, as well as internationally for his expertise in the field of nanoscale biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics in cancers, asthma, viral infections, and traumatic brain injury.
He has produced over 175 publications; both books and in well-respected industry journals. Dr. Mohapatra in a true innovator, and has to his credit 22 U.S. patents, 3 foreign patents, and numerous pending patent applications. He is the Founder of Trans Genex Nanobiotech, Inc. and serves as its Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Mohapatra is a Molecular Biologist with more than 20 years of experience in drug discovery for allergic diseases including allergen and virally triggered asthma and has developed proprietary positions for treatment of respiratory diseases.
Dr. Mohapatra holds several professional affiliations, which include a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Academy of Inventors, the USF Academy of Inventors, the Americana Thoracic Society, the American Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology to name a few.
Dedicating his life’s work to science research and education, Dr. Mohapatra’s academic philosophy is, "My passion for academia is based on my personal belief that each student has the potential to bring something unique and special to the world. I believe in ‘no student left behind’. Through education each student must self-discover his/her potential." Although a focused and committed scientist, Dr. Mohapatra finds joy within the classroom, and has held professional faculty appointments at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg and the University of South Florida. Currently, he is also the Associate Dean of the Graduate programs in the University Of South Florida College Of Pharmacy. Under his leadership, a graduate certificate program has already been established and several other graduate programs are well underway.
Well respected by his students and colleagues alike, Dr. Mohapatra has served as a supervisor for several graduate clinical and postdoctoral fellows and as a peer reviewer for many journals. Currently, he is the editor of several journals, which include, but are not limited to, Clinical Molecular Allergy, Genetic Vaccines and Therapy (Editor-in-Chief), and Nature Journals. Dr. Mohapatra is a highly sought after speaker. He has to his credit numerous national and international speaking invitations. He serves as an expert in peer review panels of several major national and international grant agencies, including the National Institute of Health. His current memberships include the UK Research Council, the Singapore National Institute of Health Research, the Israel Science Research Foundation, and the Singapore National Research Council. He has been a consultant with and has performed collaborative and contract research for numerous pharmaceutical companies, and is on the scientific Advisory Board of Herbogen, Inc., CA. He has been involved in several clinical trials.
Dr. Mohapatra has received more than $20 million in extramural funds including funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), DOA, ONR, VA Merit Review Award and Florida Department of Health. Mohapatra has had a distinguished and well celebrated career. He has been awarded numerous honors and accolades, which include, but are not limited to the Alexander von Humboldt research fellowship (Germany) and Pharmacia Allergy Research Foundation Award (Sweden). He is also the recipient of numerous awards in biotechnology, the Sigma XI award, TBTF Technology Leadership Award and Global Corporate Award in Nanotechnology in 2014. Dr. Mohapatra is a chartered fellow (national Academy of Inventors-2013), VA Career Scientist Award (James A Haley Veterans Hospital-2007), Outstanding Faculty Research Achievement Award (University of South Florida - 2005), Outstanding Biotech Achievement Award (University of South Florida - 2005), Outstanding Faculty Research Award Sigma Xi (University of South Florida - 2004), and, most became an inaugural inductee into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (2014). Upon his induction, Dr. Mohapatra was recognized for the following: He invented intranasal gene transfer technology to help combat respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a potentially lethal respiratory infection that can severely affect infants, young children and the elderly. Dr. Mohapatra’s approach, to elicit a local immune response in the airways, has the potential to deliver genes and other therapeutics, including RNA, for a wide range of respiratory viruses. Dr. Mohapatra’s invention of the oligo-adenylate synthatase antiviral technology involving a “wellness gene” has been licensed to Kineta Inc., of Seattle, WA, and the company plans to conduct a Phase I clinical trial in Europe this year.
This technology is being used to create a vaccine/treatment against several RNA viral diseases affecting billions of patients world-wide, including hepatitis C, influenza, RSV, and dengue.
Research by Dr. Mohapatra leading to a rapid HIV-detection kit that provides a diagnosis in 20 seconds. Dr. Mohapatra and Subhra Mohapatra, PhD, of the USF Health Department of Molecular Medicine, invented a nanoscale fiber scaffold, which allows tumor cells to replicate in a laboratory petri dish more like tumors grow in the human body. In addition to facilitating research using three-dimensional tumors instead of two-dimensional tumor cell cultures, the technology may help address several hurdles in cancer therapeutics, including more effective testing of tumor response to anti-cancer drugs and screening biopsied tumor tissue for personalized cancer treatment. The work led to the development of a proprietary “Tumor-on-a-dish” platform, which TransGenex is commercializing.
Dr. Mohapatra’s holds his Ph.D. in Genetics from Australian National University. Additionally, Dr. Mohapatra holds an MBA in International Business from the University of South Florida. He is also a graduate of the USF Health Leadership Institute. Dr. Mohapatra is married to Dr. Subhra Mohapatra, Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at the USF. They have one son, Alexander Mohapatra who is currently pursuing his MD/PhD at the University of California, San Francisco. When he’s not in the lab or in the classroom, Dr. Mohapatra enjoys reading, gardening, and tennis.
Indian Weekender congratulates this inventor genius for his accomplishments. You make us all proud Dr Mohapatra.
In early December the Indian Weekender had published a story on how the big Christchurch earthquake had driven Team IWK to look to be able to contribute to the after effects of the quake in a manner that the contribution is ongoing and it grows over time. This journey had taken us to New Delhi...
In early December the Indian Weekender had published a story on how the big Christchurch earthquake had driven Team IWK to look to be able to contribute to the after effects of the quake in a manner that the contribution is ongoing and it grows over time. This journey had taken us to New Delhi where the team visited the Jai Prakash Narayan Trauma Centre and this initiated a dialogue between the visionaries of three countries – New Zealand, India and the United States. We also had introduces some specialists who are to be involved in the proposed project.
Taking the story further we now have Dr. Sagar Galwankar, MBBS, DNB, FACEE (INDIA), MPH. Diplomat. ABEM (USA) Chief Executive Officer of the INDO-US Emergency and Trauma Collaborative,Faculty of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida, Jacksonville, USA, Chairman of the Academic College of Emergency Experts in India who has written to the Indian Weekender.
Building a KIWI-INDO-USA partnership in health sciences and technology: The gateway to growth!
Building positive partnerships is the core foundation of progress! This is a fact which is not only known but also successfully tested. Health Research, Health Education and HealthCare are key areas where science and technology finds a major foot hold for its sheer existence. Today the major challenge to any nation is the health of its citizen. The health indicators steer the economy and its growth be it the most developed economy or the economies in transition. No nation is immune from potential for diseases, disorders, natural disasters and developing strategies to tackle the challenges.
It is these challenges which are the window of opportunities wherein if partnerships are built between Institutions, Individuals and nations then a positive progress can be made in bettering the health of the citizens and thus improving the global health at large.
Recently there has been a tremendous focus on building partnerships between nations with emerging economies. The KIWI partnership is one such important partnership which is yet to be capitalized for bettering the health of the world.
The success of the existing partnership between India and the United States in the field of Emergency and Trauma Medical Sciences (INDUSEM) has resulted in exponential growth of Emergency and Trauma - Research, Education and HealthCare in India. A decade INDUSEM has facilitated policy and growth of Trauma Centers, A strong Disaster Response system, a single emergency telephone number and landmark research and innovations done in the field of Emergency Medicine and Trauma. Today the results of these innovations is saving lives in India and modifying health policy for progressive growth. INDUSEM has cemented better relations between India and the United States building on collaborations between Individuals, Institutions and various agencies of the Governments of United States and India.
Recently Visionary leaders from New Zealand (Indian Weekender) met up with Leaders of INDUSEM and also had detailed discussions with the Science and Technology Minister of India Dr. Harsha Vardhan. It was decided that a conscious effort be made to develop the KIWI partnership with INDUSEM.
Exchange of Knowledge, Joint Research and Education Opportunities, Collaborations between Physician Leaders, partnerships between Health Institutions will be the fundamental to bringing the KIWI partnership to INDUSEM initiative.
Health Development is one of the most vibrant economic aspects which no nation can ignore. By bringing the perspectives and potentials of New Zealand to the world stage, joint education undertakings, joint research initiatives in Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and key development initiatives in improving health care by incorporating technology, can open new doors for economic growth in New Zealand.
The United States partnership with India has catapulted the growth of Electronic Health Records, Nano Biotechnology for diagnosing and treating patients with Infectious Diseases, Heart Disorders and Cancer, Sonography Sciences, Simulation Education, Drug Development and HealthCare Systems development.
The creation of India’s First Paper Less Electronic Health Recording System in the largest Medical Hospital and College the All India Institute of Medical Sciences under the leadership of Professor Dr. Deepak Aggarwal, Building of the largest trauma emergency care health system and training doctors across India by leaders like Professor Dr. Sanjeev Bhoi and Professor Dr. Aggarwal, patenting the Nobel Prize potential technology of point of care diagnostics in infectious diseases and cancer by Professor Dr. Shyam Mohapatra from USA are some of the key achievements of the INDUSEM partnerships which have directly impacted growth of industry and Nano Biotechnology in India.
Recently the Government of the largest state of India Uttar Pradesh launched the Silicon Valley –UP Government championed SVADESH program focused on HealthCare Investments in Education, Research and Care in India by the USA Silicon Valley Partners. This is considered the largest ever Foreign Direct Investment project in India.
Keeping the above in perspective the Government, Health Institutions, Research Bodies in New Zealand should now be looking keenly to join this initiative by Indian Weekender in partnership with INDUSEM to create similar opportunities in New Zealand. Bringing the patented technologies from United States to benefit the health care system in New Zealand and partnering with India which produces over 30,000 English Speaking Physicians and Health Scientists annually can definitely impact the New Zealand Growth Story.
Inviting the INDUSEM leaders and key players in policy making New Zealand should take the steps for partnership geared at positive progress.
It is well known that Success is only measured once there is success. The path to success begins with creatively converting challenges into opportunities.
Collaboration is the key step on the path of success!
Indian Professor is inducted to Florida Inventors Hall of Fame
- Indian Weekender Exclusive
Shyam Mohapatra, PhD, a pioneer of applied biomedical nanotechnology, was among six inventors announced as the first inductees into the newly established Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. Dr. Mohapatra joins Thomas Edison (1847-1931), the most prolific inventor in U.S. history, and John Gorrie, MD (1803-1855), the father of air conditioning and refrigeration, as members of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. Other 2014 inductees are Robert Cade, MD (1927-2007), a University of Florida professor who developed the hydrating sports drink Gatorade; William Glenn, PhD (1926-2013), a Florida Atlantic University professor who invented the high-definition camera for NASA; and Shin-Tson Wu, PhD (1953- ), a University of Central Florida professor whose liquid crystal research has widely impacted display technology worldwide.
Indian Weekender caught up with Dr Mohapatra to bring its readers his profile. Dr. Shyam S. Mohapatra is a distinguished health professor, Associate Dean at the College of Pharmacy, Vice Chair of Research for Internal Medicine, Director of the Translational Medicine-USF Nanomedicine Research Center at the University of South Florida, and a Research Career Scientist and Principle Investigator at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, FL.
An accomplished scientist and researcher; Dr. Mohapatra is recognized nationally, as well as internationally for his expertise in the field of nanoscale biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics in cancers, asthma, viral infections, and traumatic brain injury.
He has produced over 175 publications; both books and in well-respected industry journals. Dr. Mohapatra in a true innovator, and has to his credit 22 U.S. patents, 3 foreign patents, and numerous pending patent applications. He is the Founder of Trans Genex Nanobiotech, Inc. and serves as its Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Mohapatra is a Molecular Biologist with more than 20 years of experience in drug discovery for allergic diseases including allergen and virally triggered asthma and has developed proprietary positions for treatment of respiratory diseases.
Dr. Mohapatra holds several professional affiliations, which include a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Academy of Inventors, the USF Academy of Inventors, the Americana Thoracic Society, the American Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology to name a few.
Dedicating his life’s work to science research and education, Dr. Mohapatra’s academic philosophy is, "My passion for academia is based on my personal belief that each student has the potential to bring something unique and special to the world. I believe in ‘no student left behind’. Through education each student must self-discover his/her potential." Although a focused and committed scientist, Dr. Mohapatra finds joy within the classroom, and has held professional faculty appointments at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg and the University of South Florida. Currently, he is also the Associate Dean of the Graduate programs in the University Of South Florida College Of Pharmacy. Under his leadership, a graduate certificate program has already been established and several other graduate programs are well underway.
Well respected by his students and colleagues alike, Dr. Mohapatra has served as a supervisor for several graduate clinical and postdoctoral fellows and as a peer reviewer for many journals. Currently, he is the editor of several journals, which include, but are not limited to, Clinical Molecular Allergy, Genetic Vaccines and Therapy (Editor-in-Chief), and Nature Journals. Dr. Mohapatra is a highly sought after speaker. He has to his credit numerous national and international speaking invitations. He serves as an expert in peer review panels of several major national and international grant agencies, including the National Institute of Health. His current memberships include the UK Research Council, the Singapore National Institute of Health Research, the Israel Science Research Foundation, and the Singapore National Research Council. He has been a consultant with and has performed collaborative and contract research for numerous pharmaceutical companies, and is on the scientific Advisory Board of Herbogen, Inc., CA. He has been involved in several clinical trials.
Dr. Mohapatra has received more than $20 million in extramural funds including funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), DOA, ONR, VA Merit Review Award and Florida Department of Health. Mohapatra has had a distinguished and well celebrated career. He has been awarded numerous honors and accolades, which include, but are not limited to the Alexander von Humboldt research fellowship (Germany) and Pharmacia Allergy Research Foundation Award (Sweden). He is also the recipient of numerous awards in biotechnology, the Sigma XI award, TBTF Technology Leadership Award and Global Corporate Award in Nanotechnology in 2014. Dr. Mohapatra is a chartered fellow (national Academy of Inventors-2013), VA Career Scientist Award (James A Haley Veterans Hospital-2007), Outstanding Faculty Research Achievement Award (University of South Florida - 2005), Outstanding Biotech Achievement Award (University of South Florida - 2005), Outstanding Faculty Research Award Sigma Xi (University of South Florida - 2004), and, most became an inaugural inductee into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame (2014). Upon his induction, Dr. Mohapatra was recognized for the following: He invented intranasal gene transfer technology to help combat respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a potentially lethal respiratory infection that can severely affect infants, young children and the elderly. Dr. Mohapatra’s approach, to elicit a local immune response in the airways, has the potential to deliver genes and other therapeutics, including RNA, for a wide range of respiratory viruses. Dr. Mohapatra’s invention of the oligo-adenylate synthatase antiviral technology involving a “wellness gene” has been licensed to Kineta Inc., of Seattle, WA, and the company plans to conduct a Phase I clinical trial in Europe this year.
This technology is being used to create a vaccine/treatment against several RNA viral diseases affecting billions of patients world-wide, including hepatitis C, influenza, RSV, and dengue.
Research by Dr. Mohapatra leading to a rapid HIV-detection kit that provides a diagnosis in 20 seconds. Dr. Mohapatra and Subhra Mohapatra, PhD, of the USF Health Department of Molecular Medicine, invented a nanoscale fiber scaffold, which allows tumor cells to replicate in a laboratory petri dish more like tumors grow in the human body. In addition to facilitating research using three-dimensional tumors instead of two-dimensional tumor cell cultures, the technology may help address several hurdles in cancer therapeutics, including more effective testing of tumor response to anti-cancer drugs and screening biopsied tumor tissue for personalized cancer treatment. The work led to the development of a proprietary “Tumor-on-a-dish” platform, which TransGenex is commercializing.
Dr. Mohapatra’s holds his Ph.D. in Genetics from Australian National University. Additionally, Dr. Mohapatra holds an MBA in International Business from the University of South Florida. He is also a graduate of the USF Health Leadership Institute. Dr. Mohapatra is married to Dr. Subhra Mohapatra, Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at the USF. They have one son, Alexander Mohapatra who is currently pursuing his MD/PhD at the University of California, San Francisco. When he’s not in the lab or in the classroom, Dr. Mohapatra enjoys reading, gardening, and tennis.
Indian Weekender congratulates this inventor genius for his accomplishments. You make us all proud Dr Mohapatra.
Leave a Comment