Suniti Solomon

Background

Suniti Solomon was born Gaitonde, a family in the leather trade in Chennai.

Education

She studied medicine at Madras Medical College and then trained in pathology in the United Kingdom, the United States. and Australia until 1973, She and her husband returned to her native Chennai, because "she felt her services were more needed in India." She did her doctorate in microbiology.

Career

She founded the Y R Gaitonde Centre for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Research and Education in Chennai. The Indian government conferred the National Women Biology-scientist Award on her. She had seven brothers.

In a 2009 interview she said she became interested in medicine with yearly healthofficer visits to their home for vaccinations.

Solomon worked as a microbiologist at Madras Medical College and rose to the rank of professor She followed the literature about the clinical descriptions of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in 1981, discovery of Human Immunodeficiency Virus in 1983 and by 1986 decided to test 100 female sex workers, as India had no openly gay community.

Six of those turned out to be Human Immunodeficiency Virus positive. Solomon became aware of human trafficking in India and decided to dedicate her life work to Human Immunodeficiency Virus, especially in women, since then

And I said, look, you have to listen to their stories and you wouldn’t say the same thing."

Solomon was one of the first people who spoke openly about Human Immunodeficiency Virus and she "encountered huge opposition".

In 1993, she founded the "Y R Gaitonde Centre for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Research and Education" (YRG Cooperative American Relief Everywhere), one of India"s first places for voluntary Human Immunodeficiency Virus counselling and testing. AS of 2015, 100 outpatients were seen there daily and 15 000 patients were on regular follow-up. The centre and her work there have been described as "significant factors in slowing the epidemic".

She also educated other doctors about Human Immunodeficiency Virus and its treatment.

Solomon collaborated in international research studies, like the United States National Institute of Mental Health"s a multi-country Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Doctor of Sacred Theology Prevention Trial, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prevention Trials Network run by the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, an National Institutes of Health study of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus stigma in health care settings in Southern India, and a Phase III study of a microbiocidal gel, a candidate of CONRAD (organization).

Achievements

• Solomon received the following awards: In 2001, award for pioneering work on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome by the state run medical varsity. In 2005 a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work on Human Immunodeficiency Virus by Tamil Nadu State Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Control Society In 2006, Division of Medical Sciences (Honoris Cusa) by Brown University, United States of America In 2009, "National Women Biology-scientist Award" by the Indian ministry of science and technology. In 2010, Fellowship of the National Academy of Medical Sciences. In 2012, "Lifetime Achievement Award for Service on Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome" by the state-run Doctor Magister Medical University in Chennai. and several other awards, like the "Mother Teresa Memorial Award" for education and humanitarian services.