Ravi Kannan R

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Ravi Kannan R is an Indian surgical oncologist based in Assam. He is the director of the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (CCHRC) in Silchar, a nonprofit facility that provides free cancer treatment. He previously led the surgical oncology department at Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai and has received India’s Padma Shri (2020) and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his work.

Education and career: He studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Tambaram, earned MBBS from Kilpauk Medical College in Chennai, an MS from Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi, and MCH Surgical Oncology from the Cancer Institute in Chennai. After his training, he headed the surgical oncology department at Adyar Cancer Institute in the early 2000s. In 2006, he visited CCHRC at a colleague’s request, and in 2007 he moved to Assam to lead the hospital and serve the Barak Valley.

Since taking charge, Kannan has worked to raise cancer awareness, spearhead research collaborations, establish a regional cancer registry, and strengthen cancer care facilities and services. In 2020, the hospital was converted into a Covid facility during the pandemic, and under his leadership it cared for both cancer patients and those with Covid-19.