The 12th annual Prof JV Bhat Memorial Oration at Manipal was delivered by Prof M K Lalitha (advisor Lab Services at Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences and former HOD of Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore) on Saturday.
The J V Bhat Memorial Oration is an annual event organised by the School of Life Sciences (SLS), MAHE to honour and perpetuate the legacy of Prof J V Bhat, a renowned microbiologist of international repute. The recipients of the award are eminent scientists in the field of life sciences with exemplary achievements in the field of microbiology.
Delivering her oration, Prof M K Lalitha eloquently described her leading role in spearheading several surveillance studies to tackle antimicrobial resistance among fastidious, anaerobic bacteria such as S pneumoniae and H influenzae.
Prof Lalitha emphasised on how 'Respiratory infections are the major cause of mortality among children aged less than five and these are vaccine preventable'.
Her team at CMC, Vellore have successfully conducted several studies such as IBIS (Invasive Bacterial Infection Surveillance) and SAPNA (South Asian Pneumococcal Network Alliance) which were responsible for the nationwide data on these anaerobic pathogens. These have enormously helped clinicians across the country with an estimate of disease burden and on the antibiotic regimens to be followed. The team's work has also shaped the nation's antibiotic policies regarding pneumonia, influenza and several other respiratory infections. As a technical assessor for National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, she ended with a note on the importance of producing research work that is reliable and technically valid.
In his presidential address, Dr H Vinod Bhat, Vice Chancellor MAHE spoke about the inception of the event and the need for organising such memorial orations to inspire and motivate students and other researchers in the respective areas to contribute more towards the betterment of the society in general. He spoke about the emerging important role of microbiologists in a clinical setting and the need of antimicrobial stewardship to contribute directly to society's good.
JV Bhat Memorial Oration Award was conferred on Prof M K Lalitha on the occasion.