Roche Pharma India announces five LEAP scholarship recipients

September 9, 2026 /Posted byPrajwal EW / 0

Roche Pharma India has announced five recipients of the third edition of its Leading Engagements to Advance Patient Care (LEAP) scholarship programme.

The programme invited final-year oncology students enrolled in DM, DNB and MCh super-speciality courses to propose solutions addressing challenges in clinical care, patient support, innovation and access. It received 355 submissions from more than 60 medical colleges and hospitals across India.

The recipients are:

Dr Himaprathyusha Parupalli, MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, for a risk-scoring system to identify patients likely to interrupt chemotherapy.
Dr Rajdeep Bose, Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati, for a model integrating risk-based cancer screening, community support and referrals.
Dr Reshma Abraham, Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru, for a multilingual, AI-enabled cancer navigation platform intended to address rural-urban care gaps.
Dr Shah Abhinav Sanjiv, Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, for integrating clinical milestones, multidisciplinary team decisions and AI-assisted documentation into hospital systems.
Dr Krishna Khushiram Ratanchandani, Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru, for an automated Cancer and Ageing Research Group risk-assessment system to support cancer care for older adults.

Each recipient received a scholarship of ₹3 lakh, a certificate and a medal.

The entries were assessed on originality, practicality, strategic insight and their potential to improve patient outcomes. The jury comprised Dr Amit Rauthan of Manipal Hospital, Dr Surinder Kher of Aster Hospitals, Dr Geeta Kadayaprath of Apollo Women’s Cancer Centre and Dr Aju Mathew of Ernakulam Medical Centre.

“LEAP provides young oncologists with the opportunity to reimagine how cancer care can be delivered across India,” said Rajwinder Mehdwan, CEO and managing director of Roche Pharma India.

The programme aims to provide oncology students with opportunities for learning, collaboration and the development of solutions to challenges in cancer care.

Also Read: As India’s literacy rate crosses 80%, focus shifts from access to opportunity

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- Sumana Roy, The Indian Express, (7/9)

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- Irfanullah Farooqi & Suraj Gogoi, The Indian Express, (3/9)

Roche Pharma India announces five LEAP scholarship recipients

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