Journalism of Courage
Though paediatric rheumatology is a new specialty which looks after childhood arthritis problems and is still not recognised for any special training in India,Dr Vinaya Kunjir,a rheumatology clinical and research associate with the Centre for Rheumatic Disease (CRD),Pune,is the first recipient from India to be awarded the graduate certificate in paediatric rheumatology by University of Western Australia in Perth.
Dr Kunjir completed the course with a special fellowship grant and award from the university. This online graduate certificate training in childhood arthritis disorders was launched in November 2007 by University of Western Australia and is supervised by Prof Prudence Manners,paediatric rheumatologist. Dr Kunjir was sponsored by Arthritis Research Care Foundation Pune to attend a clinical fellowship training for six weeks in Princess Margaret Hospital for Children,Perth,in Oct-Nov 2007 prior to the graduate training.
Over 550 children with serious forms of juvenile arthritis from all over Maharashtra have been treated since 2000 at the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases,Pune,by consultant rheumatologist Dr Arvind Chopra, and Dr Vinaya Kunjir.
