The SIOP PARC Committee is pleased to announce that Dr. Vasudeva Bhat K has been awarded the 2026 PARC Early Career Award, made possible through the generous support from the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research and the NaiKong and Irene Cheung Family.

Dr. Vasudeva Bhat K’s study will strengthen the research capacity of the Indian Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Group (INPHOG) by establishing a structured, multi-institutional collaborative framework focused on pediatric neuro-oncology, an area currently underrepresented in LMIC research. By bringing together up to 10 centers across India, the project will foster standardized data collection, data sharing, and collaborative analysis — essential foundations for high-quality multicentric research.

A key capacity-building component is the development of a centralized, harmonized database integrating clinical, pathological, and IHC-based molecular data. This will strengthen participating centers’ ability to systematically capture and analyze outcomes, improving research quality and reproducibility. The study will also train clinicians and research staff in data abstraction, biostatistics, and survival analysis interpretation, building local expertise in clinical research methodology.

Incorporating cost-effective IHC-based molecular subtyping will build practical diagnostic capacity in resource-limited settings, enabling wider adoption of biology-driven risk stratification. This bridges the gap between advanced molecular oncology and real-world practice in LMICs.

The collaborative network and infrastructure developed through this project will serve as a platform for future prospective trials, including risk-adapted therapeutic studies in medulloblastoma. It will also position INPHOG to participate in international research collaborations and contribute meaningful data from India to the global pediatric oncology community.

Overall, this project will build sustainable research systems, strengthen technical and analytical capabilities, and establish a scalable model for multicenter studies in other childhood cancers across similar resource-constrained settings.

Bio

Dr. Vasudeva Bhat K is Professor and Head of the Department of Pediatric Oncology at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), India. He completed his D.M. in Pediatric Oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, where he also underwent advanced clinical and research training. His clinical and academic interests include pediatric neuro-oncology and supportive care for children with cancer. He completed a Virtual Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Fellowship with St. Jude Global in November 2025 and chairs the INPHOG Ewing Sarcoma Subcommittee. Dr. Bhat has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in pediatric oncology. His current research focuses on improving outcomes for children with medulloblastoma through multicenter collaborative studies integrating molecular diagnostics, treatment optimization, and survivorship research. As recipient of the SIOP PARC Early Career Award, he aims to strengthen collaborative pediatric oncology research and capacity building across low- and middle-income countries.