Description
Contributors
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Viji Venkatesh
Viji Venkatesh brings with her 34 years of professional experience in cancer patient care and support in her role as Region Head, India & South Asia at The Max Foundation.
Viji began with The Max Foundation in 2001 by leading the administration of the Glivec International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP) in India. Today, she is in charge of the Max Access Solutions (MAS) Programme in the region which has absorbed and taken under its umbrella of management all patients who were receiving support from the earlier programme.
During the last seventeen years alongside these access programs, she has developed the Friends of Max (FOM) patient support group, which began in Mumbai and now has 21 local chapters throughout India with over 320 core group volunteer leaders representing more than 18,000 members.
Through the years, Viji has served many community leadership roles in the cancer care arena; including her time as the Asia Coordinator for the International Union against Cancer (UICC) where she developed and led symposiums, workshops and learning programs. She was also instrumental in help setting up the Preventive Oncology Department at Tata Memorial Hospital in 1991, where she has contributed to the renowned institute as an active member of its Ethics Committee.
She is also one of the Executive Committee members of the Marrow Donor Registry India and the Terry Fox India Committee. She is a Trustee of the Being Human The Salman Khan Foundation as well as the Friends of Max Charitable Trust.