The first Cancer Foundation Finland Prize awarded to Prof Rajesh Dikshit 29.1.2018 World Cancer Day, 4 February, will be marked the first bestowal of the Cancer Foundation Finland Prize. The prize will be awarded to Professor Rajesh Dikshit, who heads the Tata Memorial Centre for cancer epidemiology and is the Principal co-ordinator of the IARC Regional Hub, Tata Memorial Centre , Mumbai , India. A priority project of the Cancer Society of Finland has been the training of cancer epidemiology specialists for conditions in developing countries. The prize will contribute to consolidating the links between Finland and India built up over decades. In awarding the prize it is stressed that the work of the recipient should relate to cancer prevention and be of a high standard scientifically, and that the recipient should be associated with Finland and the Cancer Society of Finland. Prof Dikshit has extensively worked to improve the development of population based cancer registration in India, as well as in other countries in Asia. In his work he has made use of registry data – which is not only useful in health administration but also for epidemiological research. Professor Dikshit’s work on verbal autopsy and biobanks has been especially valuable. Professor Dikshit has published over 50 articles in the world’s leading scientific publications. He has also gained the Tata Memorial Centre the status of the IARC hub for the Asian region. Professor Dikshit completed his PhD degree in Finland in 1998, and is one of dozens of doctors who have studied in Finland with support from the Cancer Society of Finland.
