Dilip Mahalanabis

Dr. Dilip Mahalanabis is a pediatrician with subspecialty Pediatric Gastroenterology and nutrition. After obtaining his degree in Medicine in 1959 from the Calcutta University, he took training in Pediatrics (Medical College, Calcutta, Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children, London and Johns Hopkins University, USA). On his return from abroad, he joined the team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins University International Center in Calcutta which was responsible for the early seminal work on Oral Rehydration Therapy for diarrhoeal diseases.

He conducted the first definitive field trial of Oral Rehydration Therapy under the most difficult field situation during a massive outbreak of cholera among the millions of Bangladesh refugees taking shelter in India in 1971. This work formed an important basis for the Global Programme of Diarrhoeal Diseases Control of WHO and UNICEF. This work is widely quoted.

After working for several years since 1973 as a WHO Consultant from time to time, Dr. Mahalanabis joined WHO in Geneva (Headquarters) as a Staff member in 1983 and was responsible for promoting ORT globally, particularly for its acceptance by both the profession and the people. In this capacity, he also trained clinician scientists from many developing countries on scientific research methods on controlled intervention trials and assisted them to conduct research. Many of them are now scientific leaders in their own countries.

In 1988, Dr. Mahalanabis joined ICDDR,B in Dhaka, an International Health and Population Research Centre, as its Director of Clinical Sciences and led a large research division for 7 years. In this capacity he provided leadership to a team of scientists conducting clinical and nutrition research on topics of public health importance. Under his leadership the research teams published 20 to 25 scientific papers each year in internationally reputed Scientific Journals. During his tenure he trained many Clinician Scientists from Bangladesh and other developing countries.

Dr. Mahalanabis has published 173 scientific research papers over the years in internationally reputed Journals. Results of many of them are extensively used by WHO and UNICEF and other International Organizations in their Global Programmes. In addition, he contributed Chapters in several well known books and monographs.Dr. Mahalanabis is a member of several Academic Societies such as American Institute of Nutrition, Nutrition Society of India,