Dipankar Chakraborti - Arsenic Man of India who shapes science with the touch of humanity

Professor Dipankar Chakraborti

Dipankar Chakraborti, (H-index 50)  is the former Director at School of Environmental Studies and currently  Professor at Arsenic Research Unit of Jadavpur University, Kolkata. It is very difficult to narrate a person like Professor Chakraborti. He is a scientist, researcher, activist and crusader, Dr. Dipankar Chakraborti has donned many hats in his two decades of work on arsenic contamination of ground water. His work in this domain started with a focus on West Bengal, way back in 1988 when he first sounded the alarm. Ever since, he has been single-minded in his pursuit of raising awareness and effecting mitigation of this problem, a task that has been far from easy.

Widely referred to as the 'Arsenic Man of India' for his blunt observations in the face of denial by state governments, this epidemiologist and internationally recognized annalist of the problem across Asia has a penchant for courting debates with a series of ground-breaking reports. His compassion for the arsenic affected people, his unabated work and personal support, has however, endeared him to villagers affected by arsenocosis in India, Bangladesh and elsewhere in Asia.

Prof.Chakraborti is an example of reverse brain drain. Research students from many countries including Harvard University, USA, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA, Asia Arsenic Network, Japan, have come to SOES for doing research under his guidance. He was invited by Harvard, MIT, UCL and many other world's top universities for academic and research collaborations.Currently Prof.Chakraborti is an Adviser of American Chemical Society. Dipankar Chakraborti's greatest contribution to humanity is to save Rs 1.22 crore ( INR 12.2 million)  from his own consultancy earnings and kept the sum in a fixed deposit jointly with the Jadavpur University. The interest earned funds several SOES activities. Recently the university has decided to set up a trust - 'Dipankar Chakraborti Research Foundation' - with this corpus for continued research. 

BLDE University is fortunate to have him as a collaborator in 'Project Fluoride' and as an Editorial Adviser of BLDE University Journal of Health Sciences.

Prof.Srinivas K. Saidapur - A legendary evolutionary biologist who shapes medical sciences for future !

Professor S.K.Saidapur

 FNA; FNASc, FASc ; FTWAS

Srinivas Kishanrao Saidapur (born 1947) is the former Vice Chancellor of Karnatak University Dharwad.& current Director of Karnataka Higher Education Academy (Government of Karnataka). He did his M.Sc. and Ph.D. Karnatak University Dharwad  and became Postdoctoral Fellow at Kansas Medical Center, University of Kansus (1976-79). He has also received Alexander von Humbolt Fellowship (1989-90) to work further at University of Mainz. Beside these he was Visiting Scientist at National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki,Japan and INSA-DFZ Exchange Progarm Fellowship (1995-2004) at University of Ruhr, Bochum & University of Wurzburg, Germany. Professor Saidapur is a recipient of prestigious 'S.S.Bhatnagar Prize (1991)' from CSIR. in Medical Sciences. 

Professor Saidapur is an outstanding biologist who has immensely contributed on comparative endocrinology of amphibians and explained the different types of reproductive processes followed by the tropical anurans and their control mechanisms. His studies are reported to have widened the understanding of the reproductive biology of the vertebrates and proposed gametogenesis methodologies for producing frogs of predetermined sex. His research also enlightened us with enriched knowledge of gonadal steroidogenesis, follicular atresia, luteal functions and hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis.  Professor Saidapur was responsible to introduce molecular biology, behavioral biology and more importantly evolutionary biology at Karnatak University Dharwad.

He has received many awards that includes INSA awards,  'Sir M. Visvesvaraya Lifetime Achievement Award', 'Professor MRN Prasad Memorial Lecture' and 'Professor Har Swarup Memorial Lecture'. In October 14 2016 Prof.Saidapur delivered the first "BLDE Alumni Lecture 2016" of BLDE University,Vijayapura. Professor Saidapur is also one of  the International Advisory Board member of "BLDE University Journal of Health Sciences'. 

Professor Dewan Majid - An Outstanding Physiologist, An Inspiration for Generations !

Professor Dewan S.A. Majid, MD; PhD

Dewan S. A. Majid is currently Professor of Physiology &  Director, Mouse Phenotype Core, Hypertension & Renal Center of Excellence, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans,USA. His  laboratory  mainly focused on the elucidation of the intrarenal mechanisms regulating renal hemodynamics and renal function. Current studies in his laboratory have been carried out to examine the hypothesis that ‘Salt-sensitive hypertension develops due to enhanced oxidative stress resulting from an imbalance between intrarenal nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide (O₂^-) which are regulated reciprocally in the kidney.’. This hypothesis is being tested in a series of experimental studies assessing such interactions between NO and O₂^- in an integrated approach involving acute and chronic experiments in gene targeted mice (Knockout mice for NOS, NADPH oxidase enzymes) as well as in rats evaluating systemic blood pressure and renal responses to various agents such as AngII, NO inhibitors and O₂^- scavengers etc. Professor Majid is one of the world leading renal scientists who has immensely contributed in the area of hypertension and renal hemodynamics. 

For his exemplary research on renal biology he was conferred "Prof.S.C.Mahalanabish Memorial Oration 2003" by The Physiological Society of India.  

A thorough gentleman, outstanding researcher and a physician Professor Dewan Majid inspires generations especially from researchers of India, Bangladesh etc. BLDE University is really honored to have him as Principal Research Collaborator on behalf of Tulane University with Laboratory of Vascular Physiology & Medicine of BLDE University.