Vinod Prakash Sharma

Dr. Vinod Prakash Sharma was an Indian scientist, widely respected for his knowledge in malariology and entomology and known for his pioneering work in vector biology and bioenvironmental control of malaria. Recipient of many awards, including the Padma Shri, he was again honoured by the Government of India, in 2014, by bestowing on him the third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan.^[1][1]

Biography

Muir Central College, Allahabad University

Vinod Prakash Sharma was born in Allahabad, in Uttar Pradesh, India. After early education locally, he joined Allahabad University from where he secured MSc in 1960 and DPhil in 1964. In 1965, he left to South Bend, Indiana, USA and joined the University of Notre Dame as a post doctoral research associate, but later, shifted to Purdue University, USA. Sharma returned to India in 1968 and joined Allahabad University, again, to complete his DSc which he promptly did in 1979.^[2]

Sharma, presently lives in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi and takes care of his duties as the Distinguished Professor at the Centre for Rural Development and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.^[3]

Career

Culicine Mosquito

Sharma started his career at the Forest Research Institute, in the high altitude area of Dehradun, as a Pool Officer, in 1969. A year later, he joined the World Health Organization sponsored Indian Council of Medical Research project as a Senior Scientist on genetic control of Culicine mosquitoes, in 1970, where he worked till 1975. The next move was to the Vector Control Research Centre and Malaria Research Unit, in 1976, as the Deputy Director, for a 2-year stint there. In 1978, he joined the Malaria Research Centre, New Delhi as its Deputy Director.^[2]

During his stint at the Malaria Research Centre, he started working on the upgradation of the centre and, as a result, the centre was upgraded by the Government of India, renaming it as the National Institute of Malaria Research, in 1982. Sharma was made its first Director, a post from where he retired, in 1998, as Additional Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research.^[2]

On his retirement from the government service, the Indian Council of Medical Research recognised Sharma's services by making him the Meghnad Saha Distinguished Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences (India) at the Centre for Rural Development and Technology, IIT Delhi.^[2]

He is also leading the Safe Water campaign initiated by National Academy of Sciences, India^[5][6]

Major achievements

Sharma has been credited with many scientific and research achievements. His studies on the chemo and radio sterilisation of male mosquitoes are well documented. He is credited with developing a new technique for sex separation of mosquitoes. He has also worked extensively on the bioenvironmental malaria control which led to many innovations in the subject. He is also acknowledged for his contributions to vector biology.^[2][8]

Sharma is known to have developed the Malaria Research Unit, New Delhi into a full fledged Research Centre, the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR).^[2][5] He has also contributed to the popularisation of science, through his books, journals and education programs.^[9][10]

Positions held

Vinod Prakash Sharma has held many positions of importance, by way of recognition and those of responsibility, throughout his career.

• Fellow of Royal Asiatic Society^[2]
• Fellow of National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad^[2]
• Fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore^[2]
• Fellow of Entomology Society of India, New Delhi^[2]
• Fellow of National Environmental Science Academy, New Delhi^[2]
• Fellow of Indian Society for Parasitology^[2]
• Fellow of Indian Society of Malaria and other communicable diseases^[2]
• Honorary Fellow – Indian Academy of Environmental Sciences, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh^[3]
• Honorary Fellow – Indian Academy of Environmental Sciences, Hardwar^[3]
• Fellow – Zoological Society of India^[3]
• President of National Academy of Vector borne Diseases^[2]
• President of National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad^[2]
• President of Indian Society for Parasitology^[2]
• Council Member – International Congress of Entomology^[2]
• board member – Malaria Foundation Incorporated^[2]
• Governing Council Member – ICMR^[2]
• Member – WHO Expert Committee on Malaria^[2]

Awards and recognitions

Distribution of malaria in the world:^[11]♦ Elevated occurrence of chloroquine- or multi-resistant malaria
♦ Occurrence of chloroquine-resistant malaria
♦ No Plasmodium falciparum or chloroquine-resistance
♦ No malaria

• Padma Bhushan – 2014^[1][12][13]
• Gujar Mal Modi Award – 2013^[14][15]
• Meghnad Saha Distinguished Fellowship^[2]
• Padma Shri – 1992^[2][3][7]
• WHO Darling Foundation Prize – 1999^[2][7][16]
• GI Inventions Award^[2]
• Chancellor's Prize^[2]
• M. O. T. Aiyengar Award^[2]
• B. R. Ambedkar Centenary Award – 2000^[2][3]
• Om Prakash Bhasin Award – 1985^[2][3]
• Ranbaxy Award – 1990^[2][3]
• M. L. Gupta Trust Award^[2]
• FICCI Cash Award – 1998^[2][3]
• Vaswik Award^[2]
• Green Scientist Award – 2001^[2][3][7]
• Best Scientist Award^[2]
• G. P. Chatterjee Memorial Award^[2]
• Dr. R. V. Rajaram Oration Award^[2]
• Dr. U. S. Srivastava Memorial Lecture Award^[2]
• Professor L. S. Ramaswami Memorial Oration Award^[2]
• Life Time Achievement Award by the Indian Society of Malaria and other communicable diseases^[2]
• B. N. Singh Oration Award^[2]
• B. K. Srivastava Oration Award^[2]
• Distinguished Parasitologist – World Parasitologist Federation (WPF) – 2010^[3]
• Gold Medal lifetime Achievement Award – Indian Academy of Environmental Sciences – 2012^[3]

Works

Sharma was the Chief Editor of an important journal, the Journal of Parasitic Diseases,^[17] which was active in dissemination of knowledge by publishing reviews and research papers on a regular basis. He was also the Chief Editor of the in-house journal of the National Academy of Sciences, India.^[3]

He has also published many books on the subjects of bioenvironmental control and vector biology, both in English and Hindi languages.

Books in English

• K.J. Nath and V.P. Sharma (2008). Safe Water for community health. The National Academy of sciences, India Allahabad publication. 
• P.P. Singh and V.P. Sharma (2010). Human Parasitic Infections of Pharmaceutical and National Health Importance. The National Academy of sciences, India Allahabad publication. 
• V.P. Sharma (2010). Nature at Work: Ongoing Saga of Evolution. The National Academy of sciences, India Allahabad publication. 
• P.P. Singh and V.P. Sharma (2014). Water and Health. Currently under production by Springer India/Germany. The National Academy of sciences, India Allahabad publication. 
• Satyawati Sharma, Santosh Satya, Annushree Malik and V.P. Sharma (2014). Women and Development: Green Technologies. The National Academy of sciences, India Allahabad publication. 

Books in Hindi

• V.P. Sharma (translated by Manvendra Tripathi) (2012). Malaria Anusandhan Se Rog Samadhan. The National Academy of sciences, India Allahabad publication. 
• V.P. Sharma (translated by Manvendra Tripathi) (2014). Dengue and Chikengunya ka Vivran tatha Bachav aur Upchar. ICMR. 

Apart from the books, Sharma has written over 300 research papers in various national and international journals.^[2]

• V. P. Sharma (2012). "Battling Malaria Iceberg Incorporating Strategic Reforms in Achieving Millennium Development Goals and Malaria Elimination in India". Indian Journal of Medical Research 136 (6): 907–925. 
• V. P. Sharma (2012). "Continuing challenge of malaria in India". Current Science 102 (5): 678–682. 
• Jacob John, T., Lalit Dandona, Vinod P Sharma , Manish Kakkar (2011). "Continuing challenge of malaria in India". The Lancet 377 (9761): 252–269. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(10)61265-2. 
• Sharma V. P ., Prabhat Jha , Neeraj Dhingra , Raju M Jotkar , Richard Peto (2011). "Malaria-attributed death rates in India". The Lancet 377 (9770): 994–995. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(11)60383-8. 
• Cohen, Alan A., Neeraj Dhingra, Raju M Jotkar, Peter S Rodriguez, Vinod P Sharma and Prabhat Jha (2010). "The Summary Index of Malaria Surveillance (SIMS): a stable index of malaria within India". Population Health Metrics 8 (1). 
• Neeraj Dhingra N, Prabhat Jha, Vinod P Sharma, Alan A Cohen, Raju M Jotkar, Peter S Rodriguez, Diego G Bassani, Wilson Suraweera, Ramanan Laxminarayan, Richard Peto (2010). "Continuing challenge of malaria in India". The Lancet 376 (9754): 1768–1774. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(10)60831-8. 
• Vinod P Sharma (2009). "Accelerating the Pace of Roll Back Malaria in India". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sc. India. 79(B) (special issue): 13–21. 
• Jacob John, T., Lalit Dandona, Vinod P Sharma , Manish Kakkar (2011). "Hidden burden of malaria in Indian women". Malaria Journal 8 (281): 252–269. doi:10.1186/1475-2875-8-281. 
• Vinod P Sharma (Editor) (2008). "Work of WHO: Malaria In: Sixty Years of WHO". South East Asia Regional Office of the World Health Organization, New Delhi. 
• M. G. K. Menon and V. P. Sharma (2008). "Malaria and Other Vector Borne Diseases in South Asia. In: Sustainable Management of Water resources: Emerging Science and Technology Issues in South Asia". INSA (9761). 

External links

• Reference on Nirdeshak^[18]
• GM Modi Science Foundation Award report^[19]
• Lecture at Jawaharlal Nehru University^[20]

References