Prof (Dr.) Ashok R Mehta, senior cancer surgeon and former Chief of Surgery, Tata Memorial Hospital was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2021 at the 81st Annual Conference of Association of Surgeons of India, a virtual event (Virtual ASCICON-2021) held on December 16, 2021. The award was presented in recognition of his “influence on cancer surgery worldwide for over five decades”, and being an “inspiration to budding cancer surgeons”.

The award was presented virtually by ASI President Dr Abhay Dalvi and Hon Secretary Dr Sanjay Kumar Jain.

Some extracts from the special citation presented to Dr Mehta on the occasion:

Prof Mehta graduated from Seth G S Medical College, Mumbai in 1961 and passed M.S. from Bombay University in 1964. He was trained in Surgical Oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital between 1964-68. He travelled to work at London Chest Hospital, UK and Roswell Park Memorial Institute Buffalo, NY, USA in 1969-70.

On his return to India, he was appointed on the staff of Tata Memorial Hospital and became Chief of Head and Neck Surgery. He retired as Professor and Head of Department of Surgery in 1998. He established and headed the Department of Oncology, Nanavati Hospital Mumbai and was on the panel of cancer surgeons at Jaslok Hospital and Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai. He was Medical Director at Brahmakumaris Global Hospital Mumbai 2002-2020.

Currently, apart from Nanavati Max hospital, Dr Mehta advices at Asian Cancer Institute (earlier Cumballa Hill hospital) Kemp's Corner.

Prof Mehta has been associated with several international Onco-Surgical Societies. He has been founder member of the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologist Societies (IFHNOS) and convened the first World Congress of the same in 1997 in Mumbai. In appreciation of his contributions, the Societies conferred on him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. 

 
At the national level, Prof Mehta has been the Governing Council member of ASI (1982-86) and the President in 1986. He has also been the President of Indian Association of Surgical Oncology (1976-81), Indian Society of Head and Neck Oncology (1988-98) and Indian Society of Oncology (1996-98).

He was the pioneer of Continuing Medical Education program in India and organised the first ever CME at the Annual Conference of ASI in 1975. He also moved the resolution to form the Oncology section (India Association of Surgical Oncology) in 1976 as the founder member.

He was conferred the Dr B. C. Roy National Award in the category of Development of Specialities in 1996. He also received the Lifetime Achievement Award on the World Head and Neck Cancer Day by Association of Otolaryngologists of India in 2017.

In addition, Prof Mehta has been at the forefront of bringing values to the medical profession and conducted programmes on Values in Healthcare-Spiritual Approach (VIHASA) all over the country since 2006. Associated with Brahmakumaris, he is President Medical Wing of Rajyoga Education & Research Foundation. He helped establish the Global Hospitals & Research Centre Trust and Hospitals in Mt Abu, Abu Rd and Mumbai in 1989-2020. He is Scientific and Medical Advisor for the Janki Foundation for Global Health Care, London, UK. He authored two books on cancer and has many publications, and a vast number of scholarly presentations.