Clinician-Scientist Gagandeep Kang Resigns From Top Research Institute

Prof. Gagandeep Kang, one of India’s top clinician-scientists has resigned as executive director of the Translational Health Sciences and Technology Institute (THSTI). THSTI is a Faridabad-based public health research institute under the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Department of Biotechnology.

Prof. Kang said on Monday that she had resigned solely because of personal reasons.“I have resigned; I am planning to leave next month; I could have gone back last year; I didn’t. Now I’d like to go home, because I want to be home in Vellore. I haven’t decided the date yet. I’m trying to make sure that it’s a really smooth transition,” she told The Indian Express.

Aside from her contribution to the development of India’s rotavirus vaccine, Prof. Kang is known to have worked on the development and usage of vaccines for cholera and typhoid as well.

The resignation of Prof. Kang, renowned for her work on the indigenous rotavirus vaccine, came almost two months after a committee to look into indigenous COVID-19 drugs and vaccines being led by her, was disbanded, reports The Indian Express. It has also been reported that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had sensed an overlap in the work assigned to the panel and that of other committees. In April, THSTI began to test for COVID-19 drugs and vaccines as an extension of Faridabad’s ESIC Medical College and Hospital.

Also Read: Meet These Two Women Doctors Who Are Frontline Corona Warriors

A Distinguished Vaccine Scientist

Prof. Kang is the first Indian woman scientist to be elected Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), London. She is a professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences at Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore. Working with THSTI since 2016, she had another year to go in her tenure.

Aside from her contribution to the development of India’s rotavirus vaccine, Prof. Kang is known to have worked on the development and usage of vaccines for cholera and typhoid as well.

She has served on the scientific advisory panels of national and international agencies like the World Health Organisation (WHO), Wellcome Trust, International Vaccine Institute, and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology.

Prof. Kang is currently serving as the Vice-Chair of the Board of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

What You Should Know

• Clinical scientist Gagandeep Kang on Monday resigned as the executive director of the Translational Health Sciences and Technology Institute.
• Prof. Kang was leading a panel on COVID-19 drugs and vaccines, which was shut down in May.
• Prof. Kang is the first Indian woman to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, London.
• She said she had resigned due to personal reasons.

Also Read: 7 Indian Virologists Who Are Leading Breakthroughs around the World

In an exclusive interview with SheThePeople, Prof. Kang had said that strengthening primary health care is the backbone of effective healthcare. "If we build strong primary healthcare we can then build a system that people access to keep them well, not one where need for hospitalisation is what brings them in. Private health care in India is the bulk of inpatient care provision at the moment, and we will need a partnership to be able to handle COVID-19 cases," said she. Read her interview here.

Ria Chakraborty is an intern with SheThePeople.TV