MPAI - Key Persons


Dr. Amit Dutt

Job Titles:
  • Joint Secretary
  • Member in Medical Genetics
  • Principal Investigator, Scientist F, ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai, India
  • Scientist and Principal Investigator at ACTREC
Dr. Amit Dutt is a basic scientist and Principal Investigator at ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai since Oct 24, 2010. After receiving his first doctoral degree in Plant Genetics from the ICGEB/ JMI, New Delhi, Dr. Dutt received another Ph.D. degree in Developmental Biology from the Institute of Life Sciences, University of Zurich. Subsequently, Dr. Dutt joined the laboratory of Dr. Matthew Meyerson at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston for his postdoctoral studies. He is a recipient of the Swiss National Science Foundation fellowship award; the Julius Klaus Foundation award from the University of Zurich; the Ramalingaswami Fellowship Award from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT); the Wellcome Trust/ DBT India Alliance Intermediate Fellowship Award; YIM Boston Young Scientist Award; Outstanding Alumni award from JMI, and more recently the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in the field of Medical Sciences and Technology 2017. Dr.Dutt is a faculty member in Medical Genetics- F1000 Prime; serves on the Editorial Board of PLOS ONE; and, BMC Genomics; and, on the scientific advisory committee and screening/ selection committee of various government and private organzations.

Dr. Aparna Bhanushali

Job Titles:
  • Honorary Executive Secretary
  • Research Scientist & Senior Manager at Super Religare Laboratories Ltd, Mumbai, India
Dr. Aparna Bhanushali has done her PhD in Biotechnology from University of Mumbai. She is currently working as a Research Scientist & Senior Manager at SRL Ltd, where she looks at Clinical diagnostics for Genetic Disorders. Dr. Bhanushali is an authorised NABL signatory for Genetics, Microbiology & Serology. Prior to joining SRL, Dr. Bhanushali has worked in Molecular Genetics at University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey (UMDNJ- USA), Jaslok Hospital and also at ACTREC (prior Cancer Research Institute). She has had a more than 23 years of research experience, her research interests involve genetics of complex disorders as well as Mendelian diseases. She has several publications in international journals.

Dr. Bibhas Kar

Job Titles:
  • Consultant
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Consultant Department of Genetics & Molecular Medicine at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, India
Dr. Bibhas Kar is currently working as the Consultant in Laboratory Medicine and heading the Department of Genetics & Molecular Medicine at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai. He has an exemplary research and professional experience of more than 25 years in the field of human genetics and is highly respected medical geneticist and genetic counselor who has over two decades of working on many different aspects of genetics in Indian population. He has been honoured with several prestigious international and national fellowships and awards which includes Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) Young Scientist Award from India in 1992; Stevens Shapiro Memorial Fellowship from the UK in 1992; the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) Young Scientist Award from the US in 1994 and AMP International Membership Grant Award from the Association of Molecular Pathology, USA in 2018. He has authored over 70 original research and review articles in peer-reviewed journals and chapters in books. He has made more than 100 oral and poster presentations in various national and International Conferences. He has served on the editorial boards of several journals. He is a life member in several scientific societies and has been serving as the Executive Committee Member of Indian Society of Human Genetics (ISHG), Indian Society for Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy (ISPAT) and Molecular Pathology Association of India (MPAI). He has organized several conferences, symposia and workshops as Organizing Secretary, Convener and Course Director. He is serving as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Pentagrit Zebrafish CRO and GeneAura Pvt Ltd., Chennai. He has earlier worked at Sankara Netralaya (Vision Research Foundation) as Genetic Scientist; Apollo Hospitals Department of Medical Genetics as Consultant & Head and The Madras Medical Mission Center for Genetic Studies and Research, Chennai as Consultant & Head.

Dr. Deepak K Mishra - President

Job Titles:
  • President
  • Consultant Haematopathology and Molecular Genetics, Tata Medical Center, Kolkata
Dr. Deepak Mishra did his MD Pathology in 1990 from the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune. He went on to do his Post Doctoral Fellowship in Hematology from the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi in 1998. He was a UICC Fellow at the King�s College School of Medicine, London,UK( 2001); and at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston,USA ( 2007 ). He has been a visiting Fellow at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York (2000), and at the MDS Centre in Stanford Univ School of Medicine, USA( 2003). He has been a visiting faculty at University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, Worcester, MA, USA (2006) and at the Dept of Haematology, Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore (2003). He served the armed forces for more than 25 years and has been an academic faculty in several prominent military academic and clinical institutions including AFMC, Pune, Armed Forces Transfusion Centre, New Delhi, and Army Hospital (Research & Referral), New Delhi ; where he was responsible for setting up a state - of - the-art diagnostic hematology and stem cell laboratories. His last appointment was, as the Senior Adviser & Professor ( Pathology & Haematology ) at the Army Hospital (Research & Referral), New Delhi . He is the Past - President of the Indian Society of Haematology & Blood Transfusion and the Honorary Secretary of the Indian Association of Pathologists and Microbiologists. He was the Past-Editor of the Indian Journal of Haematology & Blood Transfusion and the Past - Associate Editor of the Indian Journal of Pathology and Microbiology. He is a post-graduate / post-doctoral teacher and examiner in Pathology / Haematology to many universities / institutions in India. His main areas of research interest are myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), minimal residual disease in leukaemias, and stem cell research. He is the chair of the ICMR Task Force sub-committee on MDS and convener of the Indian MDS Registry. He is a member of the Science & Education Committee of the International Society of Haematology (ISH).

Dr. Dhanlaxmi Shetty

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee

Dr. Kumar Prabhash

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Executive Committee
  • Professor & Head Division of Solid Tumour ( Adult ), Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai India
Dr. Kumar is Professor, Medical Oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital and has more than two decades of experience. He has published over a hundred research and review articles/papers in journals of national and international repute.He has undertaken over 80 projects as Principal Ivestigator and Co-Investigator.He is a member of many international and national scientific societies and associations and has delivered talks in several conferences.

Dr. Neeraj Arora

Job Titles:
  • Secretary
  • Consultant Haematopathology and Molecular Genetics.

Dr. Nikhil Patkar - Treasurer

Job Titles:
  • Treasurer
  • Clinician Scientist and Associate Professor Hematopathology, Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai, India
Dr Nikhil Patkar is a Clinician scientist and Assistant Professor at the Department of Hematopathology, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai. He did his post-doctoral fellowship in Molecular hematology from the Christian Medical College, Vellore. He has been a visiting scholar at the Department of Laboratory medicine, University of Washington and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and at the Department of Genome science, Shendure lab, University of Washington, Seattle. He has done extensive research in acute myeloid leukaemias, myelomas, minimal residual disease detection and T cell receptor clonality, among others. He is the recipient of a grant from the Wellcome Trust, UK, and the Department of Science and Biotechnology, Government of India, for a project on "Acute myeloid leukaemia and the dynamics of relapse". His areas of interest include the utility of flow cytometry in the detection of Minimal Residual Disease, Conventional molecular diagnostics, and Next-Generation Sequencing.

Dr. Usha P. Dave - VP

Job Titles:
  • Vice President
  • Visiting Scientist & Hon. Professor, Haffkine Institute, Mumbai. Hon. Medical Geneticist, N. Wadia Maternity Hospital
Dr. Dave has been working as a medical geneticist & neuroscientist with research area of interest in metabolic, genetic disorders & associated neuro-developmental & neurological conditions. She is a PG Research Guide of University of Mumbai and has been doing research for the last 30 years. She has conducted many projects-for UNICEF, DBT, ICMR, Ministry of Health-Govt. of India, AMDA-Japan etc. She had established "Centre for Research in Mental Retardation- (CREMERE)" about 2 decades ago, having clinical services & research labs-like cytogenetic, molecular & metabolic labs; she was the first person to start metabolic diagnosis by GC/MS in India in 1997. For her distinguished services she is honoured with Life Membership of Japanese Society for Biomedical Mass Spectrometry, Japan. Dr Dave has also worked in prestigious institutes in USA, UK, Japan & Australia, has received many awards for her scientific work & published over 100 research papers. Presently she is also the Director, MILS International India & Japan.

Mrs. Shefali Desai

Job Titles:
  • Executive Director, Mylab Discovery Solutions, Lonavala ( MH ) India
  • Joint Treasurer
Mrs. Shefali Desai With 25 plus years of Experience in Molecular Diagnostics and being able to head many of the leading molecular Labs in India; Shefali will be Application support Director and will be responsible to regulate the team and help them identifying and evaluating technological solutions, helping and solving problem and troubleshooting. Also to identify potential issues and working with cross-functional teams. Ms. Shefali is also working on Panels of NABL and CAP accreditations.