Indian-Origin Plastic Surgeon Dr Jajini Varghese Named "Outstanding Young Person Of The World 2020"

Dr Jajini Varghese, an Indian-origin plastic surgeon and consultant based in the United Kingdom, has been named as ''Outstanding Young Person of the World 2020'' in the medical innovation category. She has been recognised by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) for her research on breast cancer.

The global non-profit organisation selected her for the "incredible" scientific contributions to diagnosing and treating breast cancer. Varghese is a consultant in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery at Royal Free Hospital and University College London. She is among the 10 UK nominees for the international award under the ‘Medical Innovation’ category. She was praised by the organisation for the adoption of strategies that prevent breast cancer, which can be achieved by offering early screening for women in developing countries.

Ceremony to be held in November in Japan

JCI gives this award to honour outstanding young people under the age of 40. It's held every year, with nominations coming from 110 countries around the globe for extraordinary accomplishments in various fields. The shortlisting is on the basis of “incredible leaders and innovators of the future”. The categories span from business to politics, academics, culture, child welfare, world peace, medical innovation, and scientific advancement.

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Varghese will be felicitated in November this year during a ceremony at the 2020 Junior Chamber International (JCI) World Congress in Yokohama, Japan. According to Varghese, her sole aim  is to "restore the quality of life" of women who got affected by breast cancer and survived nonetheless.

"Cancer will not defeat. We aim to restore people and lives. I can only search for the answers and heal the external scars but ultimately only God can heal the mutilations caused by breast cancer," she said.

Varghese was instrumental in the proposal and setting up of EMET scholarship for Indian medical students 17 years ago, who in graduation would spend up to two years in rural areas where there's an acute lack of medical staff. Her motto is "Availability of health care should be a universal and a basic right."

Also Read: Kerala Wins UN Award For Outstanding Contribution Towards Control Of Non-communicable Diseases

About Dr Jajini Varghese

Varghese is currently a lecturer on the UCL Athena Programme. She has been felicitated for her work with numerous prizes by Association of Breast Surgery Conference, Manchester, UK Radiology International Congress, Addenbrooke’s Hospital Research Conference, and the Raising Standards Research Conference at QE Hospital, London.

Varghese became one of the few doctors from India to be awarded the Cambridge Commonwealth Full Scholarship to the University of Cambridge for completion of her MPhil and PhD on the "Genetics of Breast Cancer". She lives in London with her husband and two children. Her roots can be traced back to Muttom Haripad in Kerala where her parents George and Jolly Varghese live. She says, "I am only an ordinary individual with an extraordinary urge to succeed and to alleviate suffering."

Image Credit: Jajini Varghese/ Twitter