CANCER FOUNDATION OF INDIA
Foundation Lecture
Cancer Foundation of India Foundation Lecture Series
The Cancer Foundation of India (CFI) has established a biennial lecture series to invite internationally renowned speakers who have made significant contributions to the field of cancer. The lecture series is an important landmark on the Indian cancer control calendar, and is often followed or preceded by a national symposium, seminar, or conference on the speaker’s specialized field.
The CFI Foundation Lecture series was started in 2003, and has featured speakers such as Dr. Noam Chomsky, Dr. Amartya Sen, and Dr. Nelson Mandela. The lectures are open to the public, and are designed to raise awareness of cancer, and to promote research and prevention efforts in India.
The date of the Foundation Lecture is flexible to the convenience of the speaker.
1st Foundation Lecture held on December 3rd, 2009
Speaker: Prof. Harald zur Hausen, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany & Nobel Laureate in Medicine, 2008
Topic: “The search for infectious agents in human cancers: a continuous challenge”
Venue: National Library Auditorium, Kolkata
Professor Herald zur Hausen, a Nobel Laureate in Medicine, delivered the First Foundation Lecture in Kolkata on December 3, 2009. This was his first visit to India after receiving the Nobel Prize. Over 500 people attended the lecture, including scientists, medical practitioners, and eminent cervical cancer specialists from Kolkata and other parts of India. The lecture was followed by a symposium on cervical cancer control in India, organized by the Cancer Foundation of India (CFI).
Media Coverage
2nd Foundation Lecture held on January 2nd, 2012
Speaker: Prof. Amartya Sen, of Harvard University, USA, & Nobel Laureate in Economics, 1998
Topic: “Cancer in India: How serious a Challenge”
Venue: National Library Auditorium, Kolkata
Amartya Sen’s Theory of Social Epidemiology of Cancer
On January 2, 2012, Nobel Laureate in Economics Professor Amartya Sen of Harvard University delivered the second CFI Foundation Lecture in Kolkata. In his lecture, Sen, a cancer survivor himself, propounded the theory of social epidemiology of cancer.
Sen’s theory argues that the social determinants of health play a significant role in cancer incidence and outcomes. These social determinants include factors such as poverty, education, access to healthcare, and environmental quality.
Sen’s theory has been influential in shaping public health policy and research on cancer. It has helped to raise awareness of the social factors that contribute to cancer and the need to address these factors in order to reduce cancer disparities.
