Dr. Shiv Kumar Sarin

Prof. (Dr.) S.K. Sarin, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, is a clinician - a Gastroenterologist, Hepatologist, a pioneer in clinical innovations, a gifted teacher, and a hybrid with great insights into basic and clinical research, a medical entrepreneur, and an ambassador of enthusiastic learning. His contributions to reforms in medical education and health sciences are also noteworthy. At present, he is working at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), the first of its kind in Asia. ILBS is the first, cost-effective and most comprehensive Liver Set-up in the region . The institute has a unique public perspective, most talented team of and administrators. The institute has already become a torch bearer of health care delivery and advanced learning. It has been conferred the status of a Deemed-to-be University by the GOI and UGC. His main mission is to develop ILBS as the best possible institution of its kind in the world.In his academic career spanning for nearly 30 years, he has immensely contributed internationally to the field of Liver Diseases. His approach for Primary Prevention of variceal bleeding by band ligation has become the standard of care worldwide. Similarly, the management protocols on Gastric Varices; and the nomenclature bearing his name as ‘Sarin’s Classification of Gastric Varices” are universally followed. He has more than 350 International publications to his credit, including The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, Annals of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology. His deep interest in physiology has recently resulted in the development of a unique model of endotoxemia induced portal hypertension and liver disease. He has helped describe two new disease entities, portal biliopathy, and ‘Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure”.He has edited eleven books on liver diseases, many of which are standard reference books and contributed more than 69 chapters in various medical text books. Dr. Sarin is the founding Chief Editor of a prestigious Journal, Hepatology International (Springer International). He has served editorial assignments in most prestigious journals in the specialized fields. He is credited globally to give a huge number relevant and new protocols for the management of patients with hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver and its complications. His recent contributions in the field of liver regeneration using growth factors have a great potential for patients with advanced liver disease and liver failure so as to provide options for transplant-free survival. He has helped develop 17 major treatment guidelines, including spearheading five major Asian Pacific Treatment Guidelines in Liver diseases; which are widely quoted and practiced. He has immensely contributed to the field of hepatitis B, C and liver cancer. He is instrumental in changing the nomenclature of ‘Hepatitis B carrier’ to “Chronic HBV Infection”. The treatment options and pathogenesis of these diseases have been greatly advanced by his work. He is deeply involved in preventing and protecting new born babies from HBV transmission. His group showed that the mother-baby transmission is the major route of transmission of hepatitis B in India. He also showed for the first time that the newborns born to these mothers are already chronically infected with HBV. The treatment of hepatitis B and C, alcoholic liver disease and liver cancer are specially looked after by him. Along with the team of experts from Asia, he has been able to define a new disease entity, Acute on Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF). Since such patients have a high mortality, the need for protocol based treatment and special intensive care management has been established through his efforts. This has led to improved outcomes by their team. Prof. Sarin is credited with the help of the Governments of Delhi and Sikkim, the launch of the Hepatitis B vaccination program in India. He undertook to generate public awareness through mass contact and awareness program related to hepatitis in the country. Started organizing the “Yellow Ribbon campaign” every year on December 4th since 1998. This proposal has been solely taken up by the GNCT of Delhi and for the past 15 years and the Govt of Delhi and all its hospitals and medical institutions organize this public awareness program. It has made a world of difference as now most schools of Delhi have also taken up this as part of their educational activity.Prof. Sarin is also a academic clinician with research interests. He is credited with training nearly 90 post-doctoral students in the field of Gastroenterology and more than two dozen students as guide for Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) courses in basic sciences. For his outstanding contributions in the field of basic sciences, he has been appointed as an Adjunct Professor at the Special Center for Molecular Medicine at JNU and Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Research (JNCAR) Banglore.Prof. Sarin was nominated to lead the Medical Council of India (MCI) as the Chairman of the Board of Governors, 2010-2011. He developed with other BOGs the ‘Vision 2015’ document for Medical Education in India. He introduced far reaching reforms in medical education and health sciences. Prof. Sarin has shown leadership roles in being the President of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology, Indin Association for the Study of the Liver, Asian Pacific Association of Liver (APASL), Vice President of International Association for Surgeons, Gastroenterologists and Oncologists, and now the Chairman Steering Committee of the APASL; responsible for major co-ordination of education and training in the Asian region. Has immensely contributed to medical education in Liver diseases, and has set up the first APASL School of Hepatology, in New Delhi India.Prof. Sarin is a fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences as well as he has been awarded fellowships from all the other major Science Academies of India [FNA, FASc, FNASc). He is a Member of External Advisory Board “Clinical Research Center at Severance Hospital, Yonossi University” Seoul, (Korea), Joint Steering Committee of Indo-German Science Centre for Infectious Diseases, World Digestive Health Day (WDHD) Steering Committee, External Advisory Board of the Institute of Translation Hepatology at Beijing, (China), board member, Asian Pacific Digestive Week Federation (APDWF), Singapore.Prof. Sarin, with his intense dedication, vision and work, is a role model for the country. He has been bestowed with Padma Bhushan by the Govt of India.He is also the recipient of several other awards, the important ones being: Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, Third World Academy of Medical Sciences (TWAS) International Prize, Om Prakash Bhasin Award for Health and Medical Sciences, Ranbaxy Medical Sciences Award in the field of Clinical Science, for basic clinical research work related to Liver disease, Dhanvantri Medical Award for outstanding Medical man, Amrut Mody Research Foundation Award for Outstanding Research in Gastroenterology, Hoechst Om Prakash Foundation Award, Fogarty Fulbright International Fellowship, Japanese Research Science Award, WHO fellowship at the University of Freiburg, Germany and at the Albert Einstein University, USA, Dr. Dharamveer Datta Memorial Oration of ICMR, Rotary Award, Rashtriya Samman Puraskar of IEDRA, Lifetime Achievements Award of Delhi Govt., Knoll Oration Award of ISG, Netaji Oration of API, Mike Moshal Lecture of SAGES, South Africa, Dr. V.R. Khanolkar Oration of ICMR, Silver Jubilee Research Award of MCI, Dr. Y.S. Row Award of INSA, FICCI Award for Research and Development, Dr. Kunti Om Prakash Award of ICMR, Bhagwan Mahaveer Award for excellence in human endeavor in the field of Education & Medicine, DRC Gold Medal Oration, Malaysia Liver Foundation Award, Vashisht Chikitsa Ratan Award by DMA. He has recently been conferred with the Honorary Doctorate [D.Sc.]. He has also conferred by the American Association Physicians of Indian origin the coveted prize of “The most distinguished physician from India.” He is one of the most sought teachers, invited speaker nationally and internationally, and has been awarded the “Gifted Teacher Award” by the Association of Physicians of India.His humility and touch with the common man, integrity, far reaching contributions to the health and well being of his patients, have indeed left an indelible impact on the well-being of millions of people in the country.