Photos by Sanjay Ahlawat & Kritajna Naik
The spotlight was on breast cancer at THE WEEK Health Summit Premier, an exclusive and invitation-only event at The Oberoi, New Delhi, on November 14. The star of the evening was Dr G. Thomas Budd, principal investigator of the phase I clinical trial of a vaccine being developed by Cleveland Clinic and Anixa Biosciences.
While Dr Jame Abraham set the stage by sketching out the work done by Cleveland Clinic in oncology, Dr Sapna Nangia put the vaccine and Budd’s work in context for the Indian audience. Abraham is chair of the department of haematology and medical oncology at the Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, and Nangia is the director of head & neck and breast cancer at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, Chennai, the first such centre in south Asia and the Middle East.
The vaccine being pushed by Cleveland Clinic targets triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive cancer that lacks receptors targeted in hormone therapy, which makes it more challenging to treat. “In Italy, the UK, or Germany, about 10 per cent of (breast cancers) are triple negative. In India, that number is more than 25 per cent,” said Nangia.
Budd, too, said that Covid-19 did play a part in boosting the interest in the breast cancer vaccine. “There really is renewed interest in cancer vaccines,” he said. “First, all of us have come to realise that immunotherapy has become a new central modality for treating a variety of cancers. Additionally, there has been a renewed interest in vaccine research, including novel vaccines, as a fortunate consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
After a detailed presentation and audience interaction session, the evening ended, and the spotlight shifted to The Ashok, where the day-long session of THE WEEK Health Summit 2025 took place on November 15.
(From left) Senior Special Correspondent Kanu Sarda in conversation with Dr Siddharth Sood, senior consultant, medical oncology/cellular therapies, Fortis Hospitals Limited, Faridabad; Dr H. Sudarshan Ballal, chairman, Manipal Hospitals; Dr Nitin Kansal, medical director and head, cardiology, Santokba Durlabhji Memorial Hospital, Jaipur; Dr Ritu Jain, director, Vardhman Medicare; and Dr Paul Henry, Naruvi Hospitals, Vellore, on the future of medicine
Dr G. Thomas Budd, professor of medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, and principal investigator of the breast cancer vaccine trials, with (right) Dr Jame Abraham, chairman and professor of medicine, department of hematology and medical oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute & Lerner College of Medicine
(From left) Principal Correspondent Pooja Biraia in conversation with Dr Jyoti Wadhwa, lead, medical oncology and precision oncology, Apollo Hospitals, Delhi; Dr Sushant Mittal, director, medical oncology, Action Cancer Hospital; Dr Krishna Murty, medical deputy superintendent of Subharti Hospital, Meerut, on the path ahead with respect to better nutrition and preparedness
(From left) Principal Correspondent Pooja Biraia in conversation with Dr Naveen Garg, professor of cardiology, SGPGIMS, Lucknow; Dr Pankaj Bhardwaj, director, ICMR-NIIRNCD and Dr Rajesh Khadgawat, professor, department of endocrinology, AIIMS, on ‘Diabetes as an interlinked disease—The CKM approach to NCDs’
Dr M. Srinivas (second from right), director, AIIMS, Delhi, receives THE WEEK’s Best Hospitals award. AIIMS ranked No.1 in the All India Best Multispecialty Hospitals category
Author Chetan Bhagat during his presentation on why mental fitness matters
Dr Santosh Shetty, CEO and executive director, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, receives the Best Hospitals award. The hospital ranked No.1 in the Best Multispecialty Hospitals (Private)-West category
Senior Assistant News Editor Ajish P. Joy in conversation with Syam Kumar S.S., the youngest person to skydive solo with a prosthetic leg
The summit was a mix of panels centred around the theme: ‘Learning from the World’s Best. Honouring India’s Best.’ The honour part referred to the awards ceremony where hospitals that topped THE WEEK-Hansa Research Best Hospitals Survey 2025 were felicitated.
Anupriya Patel, Union minister of state for health and family welfare, and chemicals and fertilisers, inaugurated the summit. The minister encouraged the audience to look at health care as “one of the most critical pillars of society, because it is not just contributing to an individual’s wellbeing, but it also promotes economic prosperity and societal stability”.
Bansuri Swaraj, member of the Lok Sabha representing New Delhi, was in conversation with Senior Assistant Editor Pratul Sharma on her dream for a healthy India. Swaraj emphasised the importance of caring for the ‘demographic dividend’ as it ages. “Today, 60 per cent of our population is below the age of 35,” she said. “A harsh reality is that in 30 years, this huge resource of youth will grow old. So, I want my country to have a robust geriatric care system.”
It was closer to lunch when Chief Associate Editor and Director Riyad Mathew opened his conversation with Vikrant Shrotriya, managing director of Novo Nordisk India Pvt Ltd. The timing itself led to a lot of humour, as a discussion on obesity met rumbling tummies.
“We are inching towards lunch and some of the people here are feeling hungry because of a physiological need, which is basically calorie deficit,” Shrotriya said. “Some will have a hedonic pleasure because of the smell of food. At least I went during tea time because of the smell of the biscuits. And some will have an executive decision because one o’clock is lunchtime!”
The most challenging thing to follow is the discipline of exercising and eating right every day, Shrotriya said. To have that discipline is central to good health.
No discussion these days is complete without AI making an appearance and it did so in the panel on the future of medicine. Dr H. Sudarshan Ballal, chairman, Manipal Hospitals, said that AI has already become inseparable from clinical practice. “Today, no one in the medical field is doing anything without AI,” he said. “Used well, it can read medical images within minutes and analyse vast amounts of data. But AI is not going to take over us. We will remain in control.”
Keep your eyes open for the upcoming issue of THE WEEK Health for a detailed coverage of the summit. And, did you read this article sitting down? Maybe you should not have. Shrotriya told the seated audience that sitting is the new smoking, you see.