Gagandeep Kang

Gagandeep Kang is an Indian microbiologist who studies and creates vaccines for enteric diseases.[1] Microbiology is the study of organisms that are too small to see with the naked eye.[2] An enteric disease is a sickness that hurts people's digestive system. Kang has found vaccines for Rotavirus. Rotavirus is common in India and other countries around the world.[3] She was the chair of the World Health Organization's South East Asian Region’s Immunization Technical Advisory Group.[2] Kang now works as a director at the Gates Foundation.[4]

Early life

Kang was born in 1962 and went to Christian Medical College, Vellore, where she started researching enteric diseases such as salmonella, shigella, and typhoid fever.[1][5] She got a Doctor of Philosophy in 1998, focusing on a type of bacteria that caused diarrhea.[3]

Career

Kang's job was to develop vaccines for enteric diseases.[2] Some vaccines that she has created include Rotavac and Rotasiil, which are vaccines for a common virus in India called the Rotavirus.[3] She has also written over 300 scientific publications and co-authored the best-selling book “Till We Win”.[1] Kang was the chair of the World Health Organization SEAR’s Immunization Technical Advisory Group.[2] She also built enteric disease surveillance networks for Rotavirus and Typhoid fever.[3] Her achievements include the Young National Women Bioscientist award in 2006 as well as the Infosys Prize in Life Sciences in 2016.[2][3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Balaji, Lavanya; Ramanan, Lavanya; Easwaran, Subbalakshmi (2024-09-01). "The Vaccine Godmother: Dr. Gagandeep Kang's Pioneering Journey in Global Health and Vaccine Development". Cureus. 16 (9): e70184. doi:10.7759/cureus.70184. ISSN 2168-8184. PMC 11506690. PMID 39463678. {{cite journal}}: Check |pmc= value (help); Check |pmid= value (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Ramesh, Sandhya (2019-04-24). "Meet Gagandeep Kang, Shimla scientist who's helping save lives of thousands of Indian kids". ThePrint. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Kunjalwar R, Keerti A. Transforming Global Health: Dr. Gagandeep Kang's Legacy in Microbiology and Public Health. Cureus. 2024 Sep 28;16(9):e70409. doi: 10.7759/cureus.70409. PubMed; PMC 11519387Lock-green.svg.
  4. "Gagandeep Kang". WomenLift Health. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  5. "Fellow Detail Page | Royal Society". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 2025-04-20.