Dr. Yazdi Italia
Chairman Emeritus,
Dr. Yazdi Maneksha Italia, Ph.D. is a distinguished translational scientist and public health leader with over four decades of dedicated work in sickle cell disease (SCD), blood transfusion medicine and community health. He diagnosed Gujarat’s first SCD patient in 1978 and established India’s first Comprehensive Sickle Cell Clinic at Valsad Raktdan Kendra in 1984.
In 2006, Dr. Italia played a pioneering role in developing and implementing Gujarat’s Sickle Cell Anaemia Control Programme through a unique Government–NGO partnership. The programme subsequently became a model for large-scale SCD screening, counselling, treatment and prevention and contributed to the national efforts for sickle cell disease elimination.
He has been instrumental in screening millions of individuals in tribal communities and promoting early diagnosis, genetic counselling and comprehensive care for affected individuals and families. He currently serves as an active member in national policy initiatives on SCD.
His pioneering contribution to public health led to the Commissionerate of Health, Government of Gujarat, receiving the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration in 2011. Dr. Italia was subsequently conferred the prestigious Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2024 for his distinguished contribution to the field of Sickle Cell Disease.
