About Us
The India Cancer Initiative helps fight the growing cancer crisis in India by:
- Building capacity in the health care system and civil society to fight cancer at the community, state and national level
- Partnering with health professionals to increase awareness around cancer early detection
- Increasing access to quality cancer information
- Reducing tobacco use
- Improving the quality of life for cancer patients and survivors
- Informing Indian journalists about this growing health crisis
We do these projects through:
- Launching expert trainings, such as the American Cancer Society University
- Hosting journalist “boot camps”
- Fighting tobacco use
- Providing technical assistance
- Providing chronic disease programs at large worksites
Meet ACS Staff Working on Cancer Control in India
Rakesh Gupta, MD
Dr. Rakesh Gupta, an ACSU alumnus, is the first American Cancer Society staff-consultant in India. In this role, Dr. Gupta is helping to create and implement strategies for cancer-fighting programs specifically tailored to employees at Indian worksites.
Prior to joining the American Cancer Society as staff, Dr. Gupta had been a long-time advocate for fighting cancer in India through community efforts. A surgeon by training, Dr. Gupta knows that to have an impact on cancer in India, programs need to be enacted at the community level and policy changes at the central and state levels of government.
Dr. Gupta helped establish the Rajasthan Cancer Foundation (RCF) in July 2002, a foundation that focuses on raising awareness of cancer. Through RCF efforts, the Rajasthan government has included cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and palliative care guidelines in manuals that are provided to all district-level physicians in the state. This is the first time cancer-specific information has been included in the official continuing education correspondence between state officials and front line health professionals.
“It’s not easy picking the unknown path, but knowing that you can positively affect the lives of millions—and leave a legacy for the younger generation—makes it worth all the effort,” says Dr. Rakesh Gupta.
Meenu Anand
Meenu Anand is Director of Strategic Initiatives at the American Cancer Society, where she is responsible for Society’s India program. In additional Ms, Anand, is responsible for identifying, developing, and deploying strategies for disseminating ACS information on cancer and tobacco for global audience. Previous ACS experience includes working as the Director of CRM Projects. Before joining ACS, Ms. Anand worked for 10 years at Headstrong, a global consulting company, where she served as a consultant for integration projects focused on people, processes, and tools. Ms. Anand holds an MS in Physics from the University of Delhi, India, an MBA from Clemson University and an MS in Information Systems from the University of Texas.
Navami Naik, MSS
Navami Naik is the Lead Manager, India Programs with the American Cancer Society, where she is responsible for strengthening capacity building programs in India and outreach to the Indian community in the South Atlantic Division. Before joining ACS, Ms Naik worked as a behavioral health clinician and an adolescent and family social worker in Philadelphia. Prior to this, Ms Naik worked as a journalist with The Times of India, in both Mumbai and Pune. During her 10 year career as a journalist, Ms Naik primarily covered issues related to health and education. Ms Naik holds a Masters degree in Social Service from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, a Masters degree in English from Fergusson College, Pune and has trained as a journalist in the United Kingdom.
