In Memoriam … Debashish Danda, MBBS, MD, DM, FRCP (1958–2024)

Dedicated to advancing rheumatology education worldwide

Dr. Debashish Danda

On Feb. 24, 2024, distinguished professor of medicine and rheumatology Debashish Danda, MBBS, MD, DM, FRCP, was lost to the world following a tragic motor vehicle accident. Dr. Danda was highly respected both in his home country of India and on the international stage for his contributions to advancing rheumatology education and patient care, and for his broad vision of the global nature of medicine and medical progress.

Through our many interactions with him over the years, we appreciated Dr. Danda as a dedicated scholar and a wonderful host. We are grateful for his dedication to his colleagues, and for his energy and advice to us in the international community in helping create an inclusive environment in which learners at all stages could thrive in their careers. He worked tirelessly to improve the care of patients with rheumatic diseases not only in India, but across the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide.

Dr. Danda completed his bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery (MBBS) at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, India, and his doctor of medicine (MD), specializing in internal medicine, at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, and a three-year post-doctoral degree (DM) in clinical immunology at Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. He was on the faculty of medicine at the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, India, from 1996 to his retirement in 2023. During this time, he also served a three-year advanced traineeship in rheumatology in Adelaide, Australia. At CMC, he was the founder and, most recently, immediate past chair and professor in the Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, and established a highly regarded rheumatology fellowship program.

In rheumatology science, Dr. Danda was especially well known for his contributions to vasculitis and connective tissue diseases. He was an internationally recognized authority on vasculitis and oversaw more than 1,000 patients with Takayasu arteritis, and a similar number of patients with primary Sjögren disease in his clinics. He and his colleagues contributed one of the largest number of patients with Takayasu arteritis and other vasculitides from a single center to the DCVAS-ACR-EULAR database for classification of vasculitis. He authored/coauthored more than 200 scientific publications, including the highly cited Indian Takayasu Arteritis score, a novel disease assessment instrument for Takayasu arteritis. His publications and his numerous book chapters and hundreds of presentations to medical audiences in India and around the world reflect an astonishing breadth of interests. There are very few diseases in rheumatology that his work did not touch.

Dr. Danda was president of the Indian Rheumatology Association (2017–19), president of the Asia-Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR; 2021–23), chair of the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR; 2022) and editor in chief of the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases from 2012–18. He was a longtime international fellow of the ACR, fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London, and fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, India.

Debashish worked in many roles in service to his patients, students, rheumatological science and the Indian rheumatology and international rheumatology community. I (ELM) was privileged to meet him in 2002. I appreciated the wonderful way he had of making everyone he came into contact with feel valued and respected. He was both soft-spoken and authoritative, with high energy. He was always full of ideas, which he was not bashful about pursuing for the benefit of the field. He was deeply committed to developing academic rheumatology in India and throughout the Asia-Pacific region, and to creating affordable, primary care rheumatology that is accessible to all—rich or poor. In his practice and research, he sought to improve the quality of life for patients with rheumatic diseases in India, as well as in other economically less-privileged populations of the world.

Debashish was an admired leader in our field. We were especially delighted to recognize him in November 2023 as the ACR Distinguished International Rheumatology Professional. He was a long-standing member of the ACR, an insightful and enthusiastic partner to the ACR and its Global Engagement Committee, and supported the establishment of the new ACR-APLAR Exchange Program, which created new opportunities for bidirectional exchange. I (EH) greatly admired his genuine and unaffected leadership style, marked by his ability to be present, kind and always envisioning what might be possible next. At the awards ceremony for the inaugural group of APLAR exchange scholars attending ACR Convergence 2023, he personally took the time to meet with scholarship recipients from the APLAR region and share words of inspiration and advice.

His death is a profound loss to our community and to humanity. The ACR, along with EULAR and ILAR, issued a joint statement: “We … are deeply saddened by the passing of Debashish Danda, MBBS, MD, DM, FRCP. Professor Danda was a highly respected member of the global rheumatology community. His contributions to the field were immense and his passion for improving patient care was unparalleled. As an educator, Professor Danda nurtured a new generation of rheumatology providers across the Asia-Pacific region. He was a beacon of knowledge, compassion and dedication, and his loss will be felt deeply within our community. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Professor Danda’s family, friends and colleagues. His legacy will continue to inspire us and guide our efforts in advancing the field of rheumatology.”

Dr. Danda is survived by his wife Sumita Danda, MD, DM, head of the Clinical Genetics Department at CMC Vellore, and son Asheerwad Danda, who is pursuing his college education.

Eric L. Matteson, MD, MPH, is the chair of the ACR’s Global Engagement Committee and professor of medicine (emeritus), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minn.

Evelyn Hsieh, MD, PhD, is the immediate past chair of the ACR’s Global Engagement Committee and associate professor of medicine and epidemiology, Yale School of Medicine/School of Public Health, New Haven, Conn.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 30, 2024, to correct Dr. Danda’s date of death.