Quality and Clinical Advisory Board

Dr. Akhileswaran

Ms. Harmala Gupta

Dr. Mary Ann Muckaden

Dr. Jeremy Johnson

Dr. Jenifer Jeba S

Dr. Seema Rao

Ms. Sangeetha Murugan

A new clinical advisory board, a group of prominent experts in palliative care, guides the foundation on medical issues, making sure that the highest quality of clinical standards is upheld. The members of this group include palliative care physicians who have served on PALCARE’s inceptive Medical Advisory Board and Clinical Consultative Committee, and played an integral role in overseeing PALCARE’s development of thirty-nine evidence-based clinical guidelines in palliative care. They are truly leading lights in the field.

Dr. R Akhileswaran
Senior Consultant
Specialist in Palliative Medicine
Dept. of Geriatric Medicine
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore

Dr. R Akhileswaran chairs the Committee and is a specialist in Palliative Medicine and Radiation Oncology. He has trained and worked in both specialties in the US, UK, France and India. He is currently working full time as a palliative care specialist in Singapore. He has also spoken in International conferences across the globe and published his work in accredited medical journals and books. He is actively involved in training doctors, nurses and psychosocial staff in graduate and post-graduate studies in Singapore. Apart from that he has also led “Train the Trainers” programmes in Indonesia and Myanmar. He was the Chairman of Singapore Hospice Council, the umbrella body for all hospice and palliative care organisations in Singapore for two terms from 2011-2015.

Ms. Harmala Gupta
Founder
CanSupport, New Delhi

Harmala is a cancer survivor and social activist who has pioneered cancer support services in India. She founded the first cancer support group in India, ‘Cancer Sahyog’ in 1990. In 1996, she initiated a 3-month pilot project in collaboration with the cancer hospital in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to bring palliative care to the homes of six patients with terminal cancer along with Ruth Wooldridge, a nurse from the UK. Today, CanSupport’s home-based palliative care takes care of more than 2000 patients at any one point in time. The organisation is highly regarded both at home and abroad for the excellent quality of its services which continue to be provided free of charge to underprivileged cancer patients and their families resident in Delhi and the National Capital Region. In recognition of her contributions, Harmala has received numerous distinctions and awards.

Dr. Mary Ann Muckaden
Medical Lead, Sukoon Nilaya,
Professor and Former HoD,
Department of Palliative Medicine,
TATA Memorial Hospital,
Mumbai.

Dr. Mary Ann is a doyen in palliative medicine in India. She has championed the cause of palliative care throughout the country and particularly in Maharashtra, leading the way in creating greater awareness for the urgent and critical need for palliative care with the government, medical profession and individuals. The Integration of Palliative Care into the trajectory of illness as early as possible for patients with life limiting conditions and their families is one of her areas of special interest. She has played a leading role in the development of Education in Palliative Medicine. Her Research work is seminal with over 50 publications in National and International Indexed Journals, 9 book chapters and several IRB reviewed and multi centric projects.

Dr. Jeremy R Johnson MBE
BSc (Hons), MBChB, FRCP (London), FRCR (Oncology)
Emeritus Consultant in Palliative Medicine
Email:jeremy.johnson@karunashraya.org

Although originally trained in Radiation Oncology, Dr. Johnson has been working in Palliative Care for over thirty years, initially as Medical Director of Severn Hospice in the UK followed by Medical Director at Alpha Palliative Care in central Kerala before taking up the post of Director of Education and Research at Karunashraya, a leading Hospice in Bangalore, where he instigated several multi-disciplinary training programmes and developed a smartphone app (Pallikare) for doctors working in rural areas. Since his retirement a year ago, he has maintained a role as Chief Mentor.

Dr. Johnson has many publications under his belt and has been instrumental in setting up collaborative palliative care services for patients with progressive neurological conditions. He and his wife, Penny, (a senior Palliative Care nurse) have long been involved with the development of Palliative Care in India. He has also been a contributing member of the original Clinical Consultative Committee of PALCARE.

Dr. Jenifer Jeba S
Professor and Head in Palliative Care Unit,
Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore

Dr. Jenifer Jeba S, is Professor and Head in Palliative Care Unit, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore. Dr Jenifer Jeba S completed her post-graduation in Radiation Oncology in 2006. She pursued her career in Palliative Medicine. In 2006, she received the Commonwealth Scholarship to pursue MSc Palliative Medicine from Cardiff Univeristy, UK. She completed Dip Pal Med and MSc Pal Med from Cardiff University, UK. She was the joint recipient of the Dame Cicely Saunders medal for the top student in the Diploma in Palliative Medicine from Cardiff University in 2008. She is an Honorary Tutor at School of Medicine, Cardiff University, UK.

Dr. Seema Rao
Associate Director (Education & Research)
Karunashraya Institute for Palliative Care Education and Research,
Bangalore Hospice Trust – Karunashraya
And
Full-time Faculty and Consultant
Palliative Care Training Program for Cancer Treatment Centers in India

Dr. Seema Rao completed her postgraduate studies in Psychiatry in the year 2001 from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore. Her work in the field of mental health involved working with the vulnerable and abandoned – the destitute elderly, those with dementia, and chronic mental illnesses in Mumbai. She completed the ‘National Fellowship in Palliative Medicine’ in 2013 and joined Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai as a Senior Research Fellow in the Geriatric Palliative Care Project. During her tenure of six years at Tata Memorial Hospital she was responsible for the clinical and administrative functioning of the 13-bedded inpatient respite palliative care facility. Dr. Rao completed her Masters in Palliative Medicine with distinction from Cardiff University, United Kingdom in January 2019 after which she served as a Senior Consultant in the ‘Department of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care’ at Kasturba Medical College and Hospital, Manipal until April 2021. She subsequently joined the Karunashraya Institute for Palliative Care Education and Research as Associate Director (Education & Research) which is where she is currently posted. She is moreover an Honorary Tutor at School of Medicine, Cardiff University, UK.

Ms. Sangeetha Murugan
Nursing Tutor,
Karunashraya Institute for Palliative Care Education and Research,
Bangalore Hospice Trust – Karunashraya,
And
ELNEC Trainer – India
E-mail: sangeetha.n@karunashraya.org

In education and healthcare, Ms. Sangeetha Murugan currently holds the position of Nursing Tutor at the Karunashraya Institute for Palliative Care Education and Research, affiliated with the Bangalore Hospice Trust, Karunashraya; she has not only nurtured the minds of aspiring nurses but has also contributed significantly to the advancement of Palliative Care Nursing in India being an ELNEC Trainer and course coordinator for various training programs.