March 21, 2011
School of Medicine, Kochi
Dr. Kumari Indira K. S., Professor and Head of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine was recently appointed as the Editor of PULMON – The Journal of Respiratory Sciences.
Published by the Academy of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in India, the journal covers a broad spectrum of topics related to the prevention, diagnosis and management of pulmonary and other associated disorders.
Published three times a year, the journal includes original papers, case reports, clinical reviews, clinical problem series and proceedings of clinicopathological conferences.
“The journal seeks to promote original studies carried out by research scholars that generate creative suggestions for policy implications supportive of improving lung health,” stated Dr. Indira
Elaborating on the significance of the pulmonary medicine specialty, Dr. Indira said that the discipline of pulmonary medicine has now grown huge and is beginning to branch out into subspecialties.
“The introduction of semi-invasive diagnostic and therapeutic technologies has paved the way for the growth of the discipline,” she noted. “We can say that this specialty is now-a-days one of the most sought after by postgraduate students.”
Reiterating that lung diseases contribute to more than 4 million deaths each year, Dr. Indira said that majority of these deaths caused due to lung cancer, respiratory infections, COPD and asthma are preventable. Half of the world’s tuberculosis deaths occur in India.
Explaining further, she mentioned that lung diseases lead to significant loss of productivity for adults and lost opportunities for the young. “It is high time that pulmonary clinicians and their professional organizations come together to disseminate information and convince the public about the importance of lung health,” she emphasized.
“As editor of PULMON, my work will be to make every issue of journal the very best it can be, with the support of all members of the Academy of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine,” she added.
Dr. Kumari Indira joined Amrita eight years ago. Since then, she has led the Department of Pulmonary Medicine.
The department offers specialized treatment of diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, sleep-disordered breathing, interstitial lung diseases, cystic fibrosis, occupational lung diseases, pulmonary rehabilitation, tuberculosis and lung cancers.
