British south Asian scientist, Dr. Jajini Varghese, has been honoured as one of the 2020 JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World, for her incredible scientific contributions to diagnosing and treating breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The JCI (Junior Chamber International), is a global leadership organisation that provides personal and professional development opportunities to young leaders age 18 to 40. Each year it honours ten “incredible leaders and innovators of the future” under the age of 40 from 110 countries who have made extraordinary contributions and accomplishments in various fields such as Business and Entrepreneurship, Politics and Government, Academic or Cultural Leadership, Contribution to children or World Peace, Medical Innovation and Scientific advancement. Previous winners have included John F. Kennedy, Henry Kissinger, Gerald Ford, Howard Hughes, Nelson Rockefeller, Anthony Robbins, Benigno Aquino, Jackie Chan and Elvis Presley.

Dr. Varghese’s mission is restoring the lives of women affected by breast cancer. Her research at the University of Cambridge in collaboration with Harvard University and the Mayo Clinic, led to the discovery of the ZNF 365 gene associated with breast cancer, which was published in several academic journals including Nature. This genetic mutation which confers a higher risk in carriers, is one of a few which are now used worldwide to identify women with a genetic predisposition for breast cancer, for early detection, prevention and treatment. With advances in diagnosis and treatment, a large number of women are living beyond the initial diagnosis of breast cancer. Her aim now, as a plastic surgeon, is to restore the quality of life of women who have survived from breast cancer. As an Oncoplastic Surgeon, she focuses on cancer resection and immediate reconstruction using implants and autologous tissue, fat grafting using stem cells and body contouring surgery thereby restoring a good quality of life.

As the NHS opens up to more female surgeons, Dr Varghese has been utilising her position to lecture on the UCL Athena programme to encourage more women surgeons. Dr Varghese is also passionate about helping every individual to reach their dreams. She says that the, “availability of health care should be a universal and a basic right”. Realising the need for doctors in rural areas, she was instrumental in setting up scholarships in India seventeen years back, for Indian medical students, who at the end of their education are asked to spend up to two years in an area of India lacking medical care so that they can reciprocate what they received through the scholarship in the service of the needy in their country.

Dr. Varghese’s work has won many awards, a gratifying feat in a male-dominated industry. She delights in trying new things and constantly innovates. “This is an exciting time,” she says. “I believe the answers are there for the asking; we only need the courage and the will to look.”

When checking your breasts, there are some things to look for, and some things to feel for.

What to look for:

1. Changes in skin texture

2. Nipple discharge

3. Swelling in your armpit or around collarbone

4. A sudden change in size or shape

5. A rash or crusting of the nipple or surrounding area

6. Nipple inversion

What to feel for:

1. Get to now the normal rhythm of your boobs so you can detect anything abnormal quickly.

2. Feel for irregular lumps (which can be relatively small) that are firm and solid.