Lepra India on Thursday announced recipients of its inaugural K.V. Desikan Memorial Award. The award was jointly given to Dr Anurag Bhargava and Dr Madhavi Bhargava from Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore, and to the Bombay Leprosy Project for their work in the fields of tuberculosis and leprosy.
The Bhargavas, co-leaders at the Center for Nutrition Studies, Yenepoya, demonstrated a decade-long commitment to rural healthcare, highlighted by their landmark Rations trial, published in The Lancet journal in 2023, proving the positive impact of food supplementation on tuberculosis outcomes. The Bombay Leprosy Project, founded in 1976, has been recognised for its dedication to leprosy control, treatment, and rehabilitation, fostering integration and self-reliance in urban areas of Mumbai and the surrounding rural areas of Thane district.
The K.V. Desikan Memorial Award recognises individuals and organisations who have made significant contributions in the field of infectious diseases, in community health, development and rehabilitation and the laboratory sciences.
