WILLIAM D. COOLIDGE GOLD MEDALIntroduction of Jatinder Palta, PhD, by Colleague and Friend Saiful Huq, PhD
Ladies and Gentlemen: I have the highest honor and distinct privilege to introduce to you the 2017 Coolidge Award winner Dr. Jatinder Raj Palta. Jatinder comes from a humble middle class family. He has three older sisters. Like any middle-class family his parents recycled clothes for all newborns; so, after Jatinder was born, his parents must have dressed him up with his sisters' clothes. Jatinder was born on Nov 1951. He graduated from high school at the age of 14 in 1966 (two years earlier than typical high school graduates). Currently, he is Professor and Chair of the Division of Medical Physics at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia and Chief Physicist of National Radiation Oncology Program, Veteran Health Affairs.
Yuup, that is him.
He was born in India, one of five children and the first son in the family.
On the Left: His younger brother, the youngest of the three older sisters, Jatinder, his dad and Mom, second eldest sister and the eldest sister.
On the right: Jatinder, the youngest of the three older sisters, 2nd eldest sister and the eldest sister. That is his younger brother on the right.
Left: A loving husband. Jatinder pictured with his beautiful wife, Rita Puri in 1981 in a traditional Indian style.
Right: Jatinder and his wife at their second daughter's wedding last year.
Left: A loving dad running at ASTRO in 2012 with his oldest daughter, Manisha, a radiation oncologist at Duke University.
Right: Jatinder with his youngest daughter, Priya, who has a PhD in Public Health from Hopkins and is currently a researcher at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Quite an accomplished family!
2 adorable grandchildren! With Manisha's daughters, Maya(5yrs), left and Anya(2yrs), right.
An avid runner, pictured on left is Jatinder at ASTRO in 2016. Dancing? Those of you who have seen him dancing I will leave it up to you to be the judge of it. But if you ask me I will say that even though he likes to run he has no coordination on the dance floor, a lousy dancer indeed.
"Dr. Palta's lifetime achievements have substantially impacted the practice of radiation oncology. His outstanding records in scientific research, influencing careers of other medical physicists and service to our professional societies have contributed to improving our radiation oncology clinics in the United States and throughout the world"
a Fellow Medical Physicist
"He was one of the three individuals who conceived, birthed and nurtured ASTRO's IHERO concept. This project was ahead of its time. He was one of the founding fathers of the National Radiation Oncology Registry and co-chair of it's executive committee"
A Clinician and a Medical Politician
On a personal note, Jatinder has been a great friend to me for over 15 years and certainly had significant impact in my professional career.
Ladies and Gentlemen; It is my pleasure now to present to you our Coolidge Award winner Dr. Jatinder Raj Palta!
Improving Health Through Medical Physics
Yuup, that is him.
