Dr. Pawan Gupta and Dr. Jonathan Celli were honored with the USISTEF 2024 Award for AI-Enabled Oral Cancer Screening and Treatment Project
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Pawan Gupta, representing ICanCaRe (Indian partner), and Dr. Jonathan Celli from Photodynamic Solutions Inc., Boston (U.S. partner), have been honored with the prestigious USISTEF 2024 Award. This recognition was awarded under the joint call for proposals on ‘Critical and Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence for Transforming Lives’ by the United States-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund. The project focuses on AI-enabled technology for oral cancer screening and treatment, addressing a significant healthcare challenge in India.
The award ceremony took place on October 10, 2024, at the Leela Palace, New Delhi. The Hon. Eric Garcetti, U.S. Ambassador to India, and the Hon. Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences and Science & Technology, presented the award. Dr. Pawan Gupta graciously accepted the award certificate on behalf of both organizations, marking a significant milestone in the collaborative fight against oral cancer.
Oral cancer poses a severe public health challenge in India, largely fueled by high rates of tobacco use, betel nut consumption, and low awareness. Compounding these issues is the lack of adequate healthcare access, particularly in rural areas, which makes early detection and treatment difficult. These obstacles make it critical to develop new solutions to overcome the barriers to effective oral cancer screening and management.
This project aims to revolutionize oral cancer detection and treatment by developing a comprehensive, portable, and low-cost solution targeting high-risk populations. The innovative technology will incorporate AI-assisted autofluorescence and white light imaging for optical pathology diagnosis, ensuring early and accurate identification of pre-malignant and malignant lesions. Treatment will be initiated with tobacco cessation and facilitated through photo-biomodulation (PBM) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) for on-the-spot care of potentially pre-malignant lesions.
With this technology, ICanCaRe and Photodynamic Solutions Inc., Boston, are committed to transforming the way oral cancer is diagnosed and treated, particularly in underserved areas. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the entire team working on this groundbreaking initiative. Together, we strive to create a future where early detection of oral cancer is accessible to all, improving patient outcomes and saving lives.
Stay tuned for more updates on this revolutionary project!
Dr Pawan Gupta conducted an Online CDE on “Challenges and the way forward in Oral Care in Oncology for Dental professionals” with the Indian Dental Association Rourkela.
Scintillam Nutrapeutics Pvt. Ltd. facilitated the program with the local partner Mr Debasish Jena. Mr Sumit Bhattacharya did the coordination for the same.
22 dental professionals practicing at Rourkela participated in the CDE and gathered at the hotel where it was screened.
Speaker – Dr Pawan Gupta MS (General Surgery), M.Ch. (Onco-Surgery), Sr. Director, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali and Patparganj, Delhi. And Founder – ICanCaRe Tobacco Wellness Program and ICanCaRe Academy.
Summary of the 17th ICanCaRe Tutorial for Certified Tobacco Cessation Specialists
The 17th tutorial for Certified Tobacco Cessation Specialists took place on January 15th, 2024, featuring Dr Abhishek BhadrannaDr. Abhishek Bhadranna and Dr. Siddhi Hathiwala.Dr. Abhishek as lead presenter. Notably, this marked the first tutorial of the year 2024, attended by 20 CTCS professionals. We had two guests coming in to observe – Mr. Vivek Gupta from the US and Mrs. Susan Anant.
1. Case of the month: Shared by Dr. Surabhi – 74-year-old gentleman on regular follow up at TCC Ambala and dr surbhi jindal helped him quit tobacco successfully. The team guided the approach using the ICanCaRe app, emphasizing the ABCD of tobacco cessation.
2. Special Medication Pricing: Information about exclusive pricing for tobacco-related medications in clinic settings for Certified Tobacco Cessation Specialists was shared to enhance treatment accessibility.
3. The templates floated for CTCS for various important days were discussed and how it can improve the visibility in society. A single form of template creates immediate recall value. Dr. Varsha B.K, Dr. Rakesh Gupta of SIPHER STRATEGIC, and Dr. Kshipra Deshpande spoke on how it has helped them promote their practice. Others were motivated to use the template in the future.
4. ICanCaRe in various forums: Through the extension of contacts and representations of our CTCS –
a. Dr. Suneela Garg and Dr. Paramita Sengupta introduced ICanCaRe to IAPSM. ICanCaRe was invited to the North Zone IAPSM conference at Ambala – where it conducted QUIZ giving away 1 lakh worth prizes and also presented on “Creating a Successful Tobacco Cessation Program”
b. At FHNO Annual Conference at Daman an entire session was dedicated to Tobacco Cessation –Dr. Ajay Vidyarthi of Patna gave a talk on “NEED for TOBACCO CESSATION in Clinical Practice”. A quiz was conducted by Dr. Suman Kharkwal, giving away 1,00,000 worth of prizes and Triscare. A Symposium on “ADOPTING TOBACCO CESSATION in REAL WORLD CLINICAL PRACTICE” was conducted which saw a lot of enthusiasm among the participants.
c. Public Camp with Bharat Vikas Parishad of Bulandshahr was conducted mainly focussing on Tobacco user. A early cancer was detected in the camp and Tobacco users guided to quit tobacco.
d. Dr. Pawan Gupta visited Dr. Tanvi Agarwal’s Clinic at Haridwar and gave a lot of boost to her entire staff and colleagues on introducing tobacco cessation in practice.
5. Dr Rakesh Sirs’ experience with the online programs focussing on end game tobacco by 2030 was well appreciated
6. Special invitees: Mrs. Susan and Mr. Vivek spoke about being introduced to ICanCaRe and the good work being done in the field of Tobacco Cessation as part of MPOWER for tobacco control.
7. Dietician Sarika and Dr Meenakshi spoke on the difficulties they are facing in clinical management for tobacco cessation. Everyone assured them that others in the group who have now got experience will help them. Dr. Varsha B.K gave her experience and initial difficulty helped by Dr Pawan Gupta and now she is more confident to take more clients for tobacco cessation.
8. New CTCS brochures for 2024 and courses announced. In the new brochure, the following two points have been added – anyone wanting to be an observer for the course and for reassessment is now possible with a small number of fees.
9. Dr. GARIMA SARAWGI was excited to start the Centre for Excellence for promoting tobacco Cessation and creating a team to promote the same in Odisha. 9 of the team members have been given scholarships for OCTC.
10. Mrs. Sonal and Dr. Pravesh Singhinvite everyone to join SYNC-ENERGY, a holistic health approach by ICanCaRe completing six months.
11. The tutorial concluded with Mrs. Shruti Agrawal inviting everyone and asking them to spreads the message about the MASTER CLASS “CRACK THE SCIENCE OF TOBACCO CESSATION” on 21st January.
12. Community Engagement and Advocacy: Emphasis was placed on self-promotion and advocating tobacco cessation in the community and among fellow healthcare professionals. The #advisequittobacco and save the youth campaign by ICanCaRe were focal points. Participating in the Educational Blogs and various ICanCaRe forums.
13. ICanCaRe Acknowledgment: Dr Pawan Gupta stressed the importance of CTCS acknowledging ICanCaRe in all presentations, online and offline. Dr. Pawan Gupta suggested that ICanCaRe will extend support in form of scholarships for any representations in various forums.
Additionally, it was decided to create an ICanCaRe template for various occasions for our CTCS to use in their social media. Members requested a unified presentation for community outreach based on the SAVEtheYouth campaign.
Dr. Siddhi delivered the vote of thanks.
Members’ Feedback:
Dr. Rakesh Gupta of SIPHER – It is amazing how the ICanCaRe led by Dr Pawan is participating in so many events and bringing tobacco cessation to centre stage.
Dr. Garima Sarawgi – This is brilliant news, If all the Head and Neck Oncology people are involved in Tobacco Cessation, it’s the next big thing for us.
Dr. Rakesh Gupta – Protocol based Tobacco Cessation is helping in better cessation rates which may be almost 100%
The monthly ICanCaRe Academy Tutorial for CTCS was praised for providing a platform to discuss complex cases and find solutions for successful tobacco cessation. The program, held on the 17th of each month from 9-10 PM, encourages active participation. Those interested in submitting cases or obtaining further information can contact Dr. Mariya, Dr. Siddhi Hathiwala, Dr. Anshika, or Dr Abhishek Bhadranna. Aspiring CTCS professionals can explore the certification process at www.icancare.in/academy/ctcs.
Stay connected with ICanCaRe Academy on social media using #icancareacademy #icancaretutorial #icancare #siddhi #pawangupta #CTCS #icancare #mariya #anshikapandey #abhishekbhadranna.
