Dr. Chandrakant Pandav is known as the “Iodine Man of India” and recipient of Government of India’s prestigious ‘ Padma Award’- 2021 for his Exceptional and Distinguished Service in the Field of Medicine. He is the former Professor and Head of the Department of Centre for Community Medicine (CCM) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India. Dr. Pandav is presently a Member of the National Council on India Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyan which is chaired by the Vice-chairman of NITI Aayog.
Career
Dr. Chandrakant Sambhaji Pandav is the former Professor and Head of the Department of Centre for Community Medicine (CCM) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India. Dr. Pandav is presently a Member of the National Council on India Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyan which is chaired by the Vice-chairman of NITI Aayog.
Dr. Pandav completed his MBBS and MD in Community Medicine from AIIMS New Delhi and M.Sc. from McMaster University Hamilton Canada with specialization in Health Economics, Clinical Epidemiology, and Biostatistics. Dr. Pandav is also an Alumnus of the Department of Human Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Dr. Pandav is known as the “Iodine Man of India” as he has been a relentless crusader in the fight for sustainable elimination of Iodine Deficiency Disorders, the single most important cause of mental handicap worldwide according to WHO. His research and advocacy have contributed enormously to the success of the National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme and mandatory Universal Salt Iodization not only in India but worldwide. He is the founding member of the Iodine Global Network recognized by the World Health Assembly as an International Non-governmental Organisation (INGO) and has been the Regional Coordinator South Asia, since 1985. He has been a consultant to the World Health Organization and UNICEF on Iodine Deficiency Disorders IDD since 1983 in over 60 countries in South Asia, Western Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.
Dr. Pandav’s life journey from Village to National to International is simply amazing. He received numerous national and international honors and awards that include the prestigious Dr. M.K. Seshadri Prize and Gold Medal by Indian Council Medical Research in 2000 for his outstanding contributions to the field of Community Medicine. In 2017 Dr. Pandav was bestowed the WHO Public Health Champion Award for his long and sustained contribution to public health through advocacy for and involvement in impactful health policies, strategies, and programs with proven public health achievements and substantial improvement in health outcomes with equity in the country.
