Dr. Suresh Hariram Advani, Padma Shri & Padma Bhushan

Dr. Suresh Hariram Advani, Padma Shri & Padma Bhushan
Medical Oncologist & Pioneer of Bone Marrow Transplantation in India

A young colleague once asked him, “Sir, how do you stay so positive and keep working with such energy despite everything?”

Dr. Suresh H. Advani smiled from his wheelchair and replied, “Polio took away my ability to walk, but it never took away my ability to serve. Every patient who walks out cured gives me the strength to continue. A smile and determination can overcome almost any obstacle.”

That spirit has defined his extraordinary life and career.

Suresh Hariram Advani was born on 1 August 1947 in Karachi (then British India, now Pakistan). Shortly after Partition, his family relocated to India, first staying in Deolali (Nashik) before settling in Mumbai. His father worked in the electrical trade. At the age of eight, Advani was struck by poliomyelitis, which left him dependent on a wheelchair for life.

Despite his disability, he was determined to become a doctor. After initially being denied admission because of his physical condition, he persuaded the authorities and gained entry to Grant Medical College, Mumbai. He completed his MBBS and later obtained his MD in General Medicine from Bombay University. He trained in internal medicine and haematology-oncology at JJ Hospital and Grant Medical College.

In 1981 he received specialised training in bone marrow transplantation and medical oncology at the prestigious Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, USA, under Nobel laureate Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, the pioneer of bone marrow transplantation. He also held a fellowship from the International Union Against Cancer.

Returning to India, Advani joined Tata Memorial Hospital (Centre) in Mumbai, where he served for nearly three decades — rising from Assistant Medical Oncologist (1974) to Medical Oncologist and eventually Professor and Chief of the Department of Medical Oncology (1985–2002). He is widely credited with performing India’s first successful bone marrow transplant in the early 1980s on a nine-year-old girl with myeloid leukaemia, using her brother as the donor. He went on to establish and develop bone marrow and stem cell transplantation programmes in the country.

He also played a key role in clinical trials for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia that significantly improved survival rates from around 20% to 70%. Over his career he has treated tens of thousands of patients, published more than 500–600 research papers, and mentored generations of oncologists. He has been associated with several leading Mumbai hospitals, including Jaslok Hospital, SL Raheja Hospital, Nanavati Hospital, Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, and others.

The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan in 2012. Other major honours include the Dr. B. C. Roy National Award (2005), Lifetime Achievement Award in Oncology from Harvard Medical International (2005), Dhanvantari Award (2002), and the Rashtriya Krantiveer Award (2014). He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences and the Indian College of Physicians.

Even after more than five decades in oncology, Dr. Advani continues to see patients and advocate for better cancer care. He and his wife Geetha established the Smita Memorial Hospital & Research Centre in Thodupuzha, Kerala, in memory of their daughter.

“Disability is not inability,” he has often said. “What matters is the will to keep moving forward and to use whatever strength you have in the service of others.”

From overcoming polio and Partition to pioneering bone marrow transplantation in India and becoming one of the country’s most respected oncologists, Dr. Suresh H. Advani stands as an inspiring example of resilience, excellence, and compassionate care.