Media release

Scond Kannadiga in prestigious post after 27 years

Mangaluru, Oct 24: In an unprecedented achievement, noted city based paediatrician Dr Santosh Theodore Soans was elected national president (Elect) of Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) on October 23. He will serve as the national president of IAP in the year 2018. The national president is the organization head of IAP having a service term of one year. This is a culmination of his service of over three decades to the organization.

He is the second person from Karnataka to be elected to this prestigious post in IAP’s 54 year history. Earlier only Dr. D. G. Benakappa from Bengaluru had served as national president of IAP in the 1989.

Having served IAP with distinction for over three decades in various capacities, Dr Soans was one of the most popular candidates in the race and he has scored a landslide victory. He has won the election by a spectacular margin, having polled almost 80% of the votes against two other contenders: Dr. Atul Kumar Agarwal from Bareilly and Dr. N. Ravi Kumar from Hyderabad. The election process lasting nearly two months was held through both postal ballot and e-voting modes.

“I am grateful to all members of IAP for reposing confidence in me. It shall be my endeavour to live up to everyone’s expectations and strive to reorient IAP to meet the challenges of the future. Impetus to young doctors, lady pediatricians, academics and subspecialties as also harnessing the wisdom and rich experience of veteran members would be the focus during my term of office,” says an elated Dr Soans.

Established in 1962, Indian Academy of Pediatrics is a premier association of pediatricians of India headquartered at Mumbai. It is one of the country’s largest professional bodies boasting of over 24,000 members and a pan India network of branches.

Born into the reputed Soans family of Kundapur, Dr Santosh Soans is the eldest son of Solomon and Ratnamala Soans. After his early schooling at Kundapur, he did his MBBS at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore and MD in Pediatrics at KMC Manipal. After a brief stint abroad, he returned to Mangaluru to serve as faculty at KMC Manipal and later at Father Muller Medical College. Since 2006, he has been attached to AJ Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangaluru as Professor, Head of the Department and Chief of NICU / PICU.

A pioneer in Pediatric Intensive Care in this region, Dr Santosh Soans has spearheaded the advancement of this sub-specialization at institutional and practitioner level. An experienced academic and practicing pediatrician, he is also a much sought after speaker at national and international medical conferences. He has authored two books, contributed chapters to several medical text books and published articles in various medical journals.

In a career spanning nearly three decades, his contribution to pediatrics has extended beyond the clinic and classroom to include all activities of IAP and its sister organizations at regional, state and national level. He has been an active member of IAP since the beginning of his professional career over three decades back and most notably served as the National Vice President (2010), National Chairman, Intensive Care Chapter (2013) and Karnataka State President (2014) and organized six major medical conferences in the city.