Prof. Geeta K Vemuganti, Professor at the School of Medical Sciences, University of Hyderabad (UoH) was invited to deliver the Key note address at the National Science Day organized by the Telangana State Council of Science and Technology (TSCOST), Department of Environment, Forest, Science & Technology on March 1, 2018 at Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad.
The chief guests for the event were Shri Jogu Ramana, Minister for Forests, Environment, and B.C. Welfare along with Smt. G. Krishnaveni, Joint Secretary. Mr. Kalyan Chakravarthy, IAS, Director General, EPTRI. During the program the dignitaries awarded the innovators from the State of Telangana for their contribution especially for conversations of forests, water and environment.
About Prof. Geeta K Vemuganti:
Dr. Geeta Vemuganti joined to lead and develop the fledgling School of Medical Sciences at the UoH in December 2010 after a long stint as head of ocular pathology services at the renowned L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad. A physician- pathologist by training, she has special interest and experience in ocular pathology and stem cell research. Her contribution to cutting edge stem cell research in ocular surface regeneration has led to benchto-bedside applications and won her several national and international awards and honors. She contributed significantly to establishing and expanding Ophthalmic Pathology as a subspeciality in the field of surgical pathology in India and initiated the first fellowship program of Post graduate Diploma Certificate course in Ocular Pathology under the aegis of Indian College of Pathologists. Dr Vemuganti earned her basic medical degree at the JLN Medical College, Ajmer before completing her MD in Pathology at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences. She has had advanced training in ocular pathology at the Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, USA.
Prof. Geeta has published widely, authoring 230 papers in journals of international repute with a Citation Index of 4500 and H Index of 37 (Citation Gadget). She has guided several doctoral students in both basic and applied research projects. She was recently selected for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Senior Achievement Award, Dr. Ramineni Foundation USA award Visesha Puraskaaram in the year 2017 and invited as Member of Consensus and Editorial Board meeting of WHO on classification of Eye tumours, elected as Fellow of Telangana Akademy of Sciences and was selected as one of the 10 women leaders by the Women in Eye and Vision Research (WEAVR) initiative of ARVO to feature several women who have made significant contributions to the field of eye and vision research as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations in March. She was also selected for her role as a pioneer in culturing human limbal epithelial stem cells for clinical transplantation in India. Her awards symbolizes for her commitment to advance the profession and positively impacting patient’s eye health in India.