Panel to pick Cochin Cancer Research Centre head

KOCHI: A five-member expert committee is set to hold the interview for the post of director of Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC) at the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Thiruvananthapuram at 10 a.m. on Saturday.  The interview panel consists of Rajeev Sadanandan  Health Additional Chief Secretary, Dr Paul Sebastian, RCC director,   Dr G.K. Rath, Director of National Cancer Institute, New Delhi, Dr Linge Gowda, Director of Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore, and Dr Mammen Chandy, Director, Tata Memorial Hospital, Kolkata. Dr Cherian Varghese, a radiation oncologist who is a project co-ordinator with WHO,  is the front-runner for the post with RCC director Dr Paul Sebastian, who plays a key role in the CCRC project, understood to be throwing his weight behind him. 

The other applicants to the post are Dr Mony Abraham Kuriakose, surgical oncologist based in Bangalore,  and Dr R. Ranjitha Suman, a pathologist based in Chennai. One of the qualifications stipulated for the post is “proven ability in conceptualisation and implementation of major research projects, clinical and hospital projects with extra mural funding.” The posting of the director has been hanging fire for some time with the post created early this year, but it was criticised by activist groups that it was not widely advertised which has now resulted in only a handful of applications. It was also alleged that stringent conditions were brought in to zero in on a particular person.