Day 2 of Junior World Congress at CMC commences with early morning 3-km cycling marathon from CMC to Rakhbagh sponsored by Avon cycles

Ludhiana, April 6, 2019: The day 2 of the Junior World Congress at the Christian Medical College commenced with an early morning 3 km cycling marathon from CMC to Rakhbagh sponsored by Avon cycles. The cyclothon was conducted keeping in mind the theme of the Congress - Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The importance of a healthy lifestyle with adequate exercise was emphasized as the number one approach to combat NCDs. Academic events began with Padmashree awardee, Dr Mammen Chandy, addressing the delegates present at JWC. Dr Chandy is a member of Indian Society of Haematology and Blood Transfusion and American Society of Haematology. He has been conferred with the prestigious Dr BC Roy Award in the field of Eminent Medical Person by the Medical Council of India. Dr Chandy spoke on the Trends in Precision Medicine and Personalised Cancer. He also emphasised on the role of biotechnology in the field of medicine. Dr Chandy also motivated the students about choosing their career paths in medicine. Among the other speakers were Dr Nihal Thomas (CMC Vellore) who talked about a much overlooked topic - Rare types of Diabetes Mellitus; and Dr Derek De Sa (University of British Columbia) who gave a talk on Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN) in children. Workshops on Oncology and Mental health were also conducted. The mental health workshop named Mind Matters was conducted by Dr Sangeeta Mahajan, a CMC alumni who is currently working in London as a Consultant Anaesthetist. She works closely with Health Education, England and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain to bring about organizational changes to improve the working condition of students and doctors. She was accompanied by her husband Mr Simon Davies who is a mental health first aid provider in Britain. The duo engaged the students in some interactive sessions during the workshop and discussed topics like peer pressure, depresssion and suicide. The Oncology workshop was a multi-tier workshop organised by multiple doctors from CMC including Dr Joseph John (Professor and Head, Department of Clinical Haematology), Dr Pamela Jeyaraj (Professor and Head, Department of Radiation oncology), Dr Naveen Kakkar (Professor and Head, Department of Haematology), Dr Kanwardeep Kwatra (Associate Professor, Department of Pathology), Dr Preeti Paul (Associate Professor, Department of Pathology) and Dr Aikaj Jindal (Head of the Department of Transfusion Medicine), Dr Jyotika (Assistant professor, Department of Transfusion Medicine) and Mrs Sangeeta Samuel (Nursing Superintendent, Department of Haematoncology). This workshop equipped the students with the skills needed for early and accurate diagnosis of Cancer. To add some fun and colour to the event, cultural booths were set up by the international delegates from Singapore, Bangladesh, Thailand and others showcasing the rich heritage of their respective countries. The principal of the college, Dr Jeyaraj Pandian said, “Through our Cycling Marathon, we have sought to design a dynamic Congress for these young minds where they learn how to combat Non-Communicable Diseases not only in theory but also in practice.”