Roche Pharma India announces winners of third LEAP scholarship programme

Roche Pharma India has announced the winners of the third edition of its Leading Engagements to Advance Patient Care (LEAP) programme. The felicitation ceremony recognised five oncology students whose solutions addressed challenges in cancer care.

The third edition of LEAP invited final-year oncology students enrolled in super-speciality courses including DM, DNB and MCh to provide solutions across clinical care, patient care, innovation and access. The edition received participation from more than 60 medical colleges and hospitals across India, with 355 solutions submitted.

The five winners are Dr Himaprathyusha Parupalli from MNJIORCC Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad; Dr Rajdeep Bose from Dr B. Borooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati; Dr Reshma Abraham from Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru; Dr Shah Abhinav Sanjiv from Regional Cancer Centre, Trivandrum; and Dr Krishna Khushiram Ratanchandani from Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru.

Dr Himaprathyusha Parupalli’s solution focused on using a rapid Default Risk Score to identify patients at risk of treatment interruption and enable targeted navigation to improve chemotherapy adherence and patient outcomes. The solution received jury recognition for its patient-centric approach to improving compliance.

Dr Rajdeep Bose proposed integrating risk-based cancer screening with community-based support interventions and streamlined referrals to improve uptake and enable earlier, equitable cancer detection. His solution was recognised for its structured, evidence-driven approach to cancer care.

Dr Reshma Abraham proposed a multilingual, AI-enabled cancer navigation platform aimed at bridging rural-urban care gaps. Her solution was recognised for bringing compassion and ethics to cancer management.

Dr Shah Abhinav Sanjiv proposed integrating clinical milestones, multidisciplinary team decision-making and AI-assisted documentation into hospital systems to enable equity and accessibility in cancer treatment.

Dr Krishna Khushiram Ratanchandani proposed an automated CARG risk assessment approach aimed at enabling safer and personalised cancer care for older adults. The solution stood out for its potential to transform cancer care with AI.

Each winner received a scholarship of ₹3 lakh, a certificate and a medal for their contributions to advancing academic excellence in oncology. The felicitation event was attended by deans of medical colleges and oncologists.

LEAP is a programme for final-year DM, DNB and MCh oncology students in India, providing a platform for learning, collaboration and innovation in oncology care. The programme is designed to foster innovative thinking and creativity among students as they prepare to enter clinical practice. It also provides students with opportunities to network, collaborate and develop practical solutions to challenges in oncology and cancer care.

“Addressing India’s growing cancer burden requires bridging the critical gap in skilled oncology resources beyond metro cities and fostering experts who can develop new, unique solutions to meet this demand. LEAP provides young oncologists with the opportunity to reimagine how cancer care can be delivered across India. By nurturing the next generation of clinical leaders, we hope to strengthen an ecosystem that can make cancer care more accessible and patient centric to deliver better outcomes,” said Roche Pharma India CEO & Managing Director, Rajwinder Mehdwan.

Entries were evaluated by a jury comprising Dr Amit Rauthan, Head of Department (HOD) & Consultant, Medical Oncology, Manipal Hospital; Dr Surinder Kher, Industry Expert and Consultant, Aster Hospitals; Dr Geeta Kadayaprath, Senior Consultant, Breast Surgical Oncology and Oncoplastic Surgery Lead, Apollo Women’s Cancer Centre, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals; and Dr Aju Mathew, Consultant, Ernakulam Medical Centre. The assessment focused on originality, practicality, strategic insight and potential to improve patient outcomes.

“LEAP gave me an opportunity to look more closely at a challenge we often see in cancer care and think about how we can better support patients at risk of interrupting treatment. Developing this idea and receiving perspectives from experienced oncologists has been a valuable learning experience. This recognition encourages me to take the idea further and explore how it can help more patients stay on course with their treatment,” said Dr Himaprathyusha Parupalli, LEAP 2025-26 winner from MNJIORCC Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad.

Dr Amit Rauthan, HOD & Consultant, Medical Oncology, Manipal Hospitals, Bengaluru, said, “LEAP has brought fresh thinking into the oncology ecosystem by encouraging young doctors to look beyond the and explore ideas that have potential to create a much wider impact. It was heartening to see the breadth of ideas this year, including perspectives that we, as experienced clinicians, may not have considered ourselves. I hope every participant continues to build on their ideas, as they have the potential to make a meaningful difference to cancer care.”

Dr Geeta Kadayaprath, Senior Consultant, Breast Surgical Oncology and Oncoplastic Surgery Lead, Apollo Women’s Cancer Centre, Delhi, said, “I really enjoyed being part of LEAP and was truly impressed by the ideas the students brought forward. What stood out was their ability to think beyond their immediate clinical settings and develop solutions relevant to a much larger population. As doctors, our responsibility extends beyond treatment to areas such as prevention and early detection, and it was encouraging to see students address these challenges in thoughtful ways. Programs like LEAP are important because they give young doctors the opportunity to turn their ideas into action.”

Reflecting on his experience with LEAP, Dr Surinder Kher, Consultant, Aster Hospitals, Bengaluru, said, “Interacting with the participants gave us an opportunity to understand the thinking behind their ideas and how they approached challenges within the healthcare system. It was encouraging to see students use LEAP as a platform to learn, build on their ideas and explore how they could work in real world setting. I hope more oncology students participate in the program, continue developing promising ideas and turn them into practice.”

“Tackling cancer demands our full attention and abundant creativity. LEAP gives young oncologists the space to innovate, access expert feedback and find support to take promising ideas forward. Having been part of the jury, I was inspired by the caliber of ideas we saw. While only a few participants receive the top recognition, the real measure of LEAP’s success is seeing young doctors continue to pursue these ideas and turn them into meaningful projects early in their careers,” said Dr Aju Mathew, Consultant, Ernakulam Medical Centre, Kochi.