Dr. Radhakrishnan decided to pursue a career in medicine as he was intrigued by the complexities of the human body. He is passionate about research in pediatric cancers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). He believes that LMICs should form collaborative research groups and conduct clinical trials that address local problems to improve outcomes of children with cancer rather than extrapolating literature from high-income countries as the ground realities are different in these two settings. He believes that free medicines alone cannot improve outcomes of children with cancer in LMICs but a holistic approach to patient care that includes reducing treatment abandonments, improving nutrition, psychological and economic support for families, continuing informal education during treatment, providing a home away from home for families to stay, and reduction of infections and research are essential to achieve success in pediatric oncology in LMICs.
Dr. Radhakrishnan earned his doctorate (D.M) in Medical Oncology in 2011 from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, India and his MD in Pediatrics in 2003 from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, India. He was awarded the silver medal for the best resident during his pediatrics training and gold medal for the best fellow in medical oncology and gold medal for the best research by a fellow at AIIMS. These awards were conferred on him by the President of India.
Dr. Radhakrishnan was trained in the United Kingdom for two years under the International Pediatrics Training Scheme of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health.
Dr. Radhakrishnan currently works in Cancer Institute (W.I.A) in Chennai, India, where he is a Professor in Medical and Pediatric Oncology. Dr. Radhakrishnan oversees the pediatric oncology division in his hospital. He is responsible for the management of 300 new pediatric patients every year. He is involved with training of fellows in medical and pediatric oncology and is responsible for the academic fellowship program. He is actively involved with research and is the principal investigator for seven ongoing clinical trials, among which three are multi-centric. He is the chairman of the hospital patient safety committee and his other administrative responsibilities include coordination with donors and funding agencies.
Dr. Radhakrishnan was awarded the Young Investigator Award by the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) in 2018 and by the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) in 2020. His student thesis was awarded the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) merit award in 2018. His research has been selected for presentation in the "Path breaking clinic trials" session and the prestigious award session of the SIOP annual conference in 2018 and 2020, respectively.
“I work in a non-government, non-profit, charitable hospital which has a similar ethos and values as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I am inspired by the motto of St. Jude as said by the late Danny Thomas that ‘No child should die in the dawn of life’ and this is similar to the motto of our institution, ‘They shall always have a tomorrow.’ The reason I decided to pursue the MS in Global Child Health is that I wanted to be a part of the global vision of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in transforming health care for children with catastrophic disease across the world. Through the master’s program I hope to achieve valuable skills in various areas like leadership, communication, global health, epidemiology, biostatistics and many more and use the skills and knowledge gained to make an impact on improving the outcomes of children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a pioneering and visionary institution in the field of pediatric cancer and their research over decades has dramatically improved the survival and quality of life of children with cancer across the world. With world-class experienced faculty, excellent resources and infrastructure, a stimulating and relevant curriculum, ability to continue working while studying and one of kind unique academic program, there can be no better place in the world to pursue a master’s degree in Global Child Health.”
Education
MD - Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh
DM - All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
Publications
Saju SV, Radhakrishnan V, Ganesan TS, Dhanushkodi M, Raja A, Selvaluxmy G, Sagar TG. Factors that impact the outcomes in testicular germ cell tumors in low-middle-income countries. Med Oncol. Feb 6;36(3):28, 2019.
Radhakrishnan V, Joshi A, Ramamoorthy J, Rajaraman S, Ganesan P, Ganesan TS, Dhanushkodi M, Sagar TG. Intravenous fosaprepitant for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced vomiting in children: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III randomized trial. Pediatr Blood Cancer. Mar;66(3):e27551, 2019.
Totadri S, Radhakrishnan V, Ganesan TS, Ganesan P, Kannan K, Lakshmipathy KM, Selvaluxmy G, Sagar TG. Can Radiotherapy Be Omitted in Children With Hodgkin Lymphoma Who Achieve Metabolic Remission on Interim Positron Emission Tomography? Experience of a Tertiary Care Cancer Referral Center. J Glob Oncol. Sep;4:1-7, 2018.
Radhakrishnan V, Dhanushkodi M, Ganesan TS, Ganesan P, Sundersingh S, Selvaluxmy G, Swaminathan R, Rama R, Sagar TG. Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma Treated at Cancer Institute, Chennai, India: Long-Term Outcome. J Glob Oncol. Nov 9;3(5):545-554, 2016.
Shankar K, Radhakrishnan V, Vijayakumar V, Ramamoorthy J, Ganesan P, Dhanushkodi M, Ganesan TS, Sagar TG. Prevalence of multi-drug resistant organisms in stool of paediatric patients with acute leukaemia and correlation with blood culture positivity: A single institution experience. Pediatr Blood Cancer. Jan;65(1), 2018.
Radhakrishnan V, Kapoor G, Arora B, Bansal D, Vora T, Prasad M, Chinnaswamy G, Laskar S, Agarwala S, Kaur T, Rath GK, Bakhshi S. Management of Hodgkins Lymphoma: ICMR Consensus Document. Indian J Pediatr. May;84(5):371-381, 2017.
Radhakrishnan V, Sharma S, Vishnubhatla S, Bakhshi S. MRI findings at baseline and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in orbital retinoblastoma (IRSS stage III). Br J Ophthalmol. Jan;97(1):52-8, 2013.
Radhakrishnan V, Kashyap S, Pushker N, Sharma S, Pathy S, Mohanti BK, Vishnubhatla S, Ghose S, Bakhshi S. Outcome, pathologic findings, and compliance in orbital retinoblastoma (International Retinoblastoma Staging System stage III) treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a prospective study. Ophthalmology. Jul;119(7):1470-7, 2012.
Radhakrishnan V, Kashyap S, Singh L, Pushker N, Bakhshi S. Prognostic significance of VEGF at baseline in orbital retinoblastoma (IRSS stage II and stage III). Pediatr Blood Cancer. Oct;59(4):769-70, 2012.
Bakhshi S, Radhakrishnan V, Sharma P, Kumar R, Thulkar S, Vishnubhatla S, Dhawan D, Malhotra A. Pediatric nonlymphoblastic non-Hodgkin lymphoma: baseline, interim, and posttreatment PET/CT versus contrast-enhanced CT for evaluation—a prospective study. Radiology. Mar;262(3):956-68, 2012.
Radhakrishnan V, Kumar R, Malhotra A, Bakhshi S. Role of PET/CT in staging and evaluation of treatment response after 3 cycles of chemotherapy in locally advanced retinoblastoma: a prospective study. J Nucl Med. Feb;53(2):191-8, 2012.
Radhakrishnan V, Kashyap S, Singh L, Bakhshi S. VEGF expression in residual tumor cells in orbital retinoblastoma (IRSS stage III) treated with NACT: a prospective study. Pediatr Blood Cancer. Sep;59(3):567-9, 2012.