Draft:Vijay Vasudev Pillay

Dr. Vijay Vasudev Pillay is a medical professional who is the Chief of Poison Control Centre at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Professor and Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) in Cochin, Kerala, India. In 2004, he established the Indian Society of Toxicology and was president for eight years.

The Poison Control Centre at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences is officially recognized in the Global Directory of Poison Control Centres by the World Health Organization (WHO). Its affiliated Analytical Toxicology Laboratory is nationally accredited as a clinical toxicology facility, specialising in the examination of samples received from poisoned victims across the nation. To date, it has analysed a substantial number of samples.

Early life and education
Pillay, a native of Kerala, India, did his undergraduate and postgraduate studies specialising in Forensic Medicine and Toxicology.
 * DCL (Diploma in Criminal Law), Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu
 * MD (Forensic Medicine & Toxicology), & MBBS, Gandhi Medical College, Hyderabad, India

He is certified as an Instructor for the Advanced HAZMAT Life Support (AHLS) Course, as conferred by the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology.

Current Position
Pillay presently holds the role of Chief at the Poison Control Centre & Clinical Forensic Unit, concurrently serving as the position of Professor & Head of Forensic Medicine and Medical Toxicology at Amrita School of Medicine (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham), Cochin. The Poison Control Centre is acknowledged by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is featured in the Yellow Tox Directory on the WHO website. The Analytical Toxicology Laboratory affiliated with the Poison Control Centre is accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories (NABL).

Research
Pillay has authored scholarly work, comprising publications featured in national and international scientific journals. 20 of these publications are indexed in PUBMED, and 35 are listed in SCOPUS. His editorial contributions include serving as the editor of the Journal of Indian Society of Toxicology from 2005 to 2014. He has been a referee in toxicology for journals such as the Journal of Association of Physicians of India and National Medical Journal of India.

Pillay's research includes the assessment of pesticide and heavy metal contamination in vegetables and fruits within Kerala; on evaluating the heavy metal contamination in rivers and lakes within industrial regions of Kerala and the development of cost-effective and precise diagnostic analytical methods for detecting poisons in the body fluids of poisoned victims. He has been involved in formulating national protocols for the management of various common poisonings encountered in India and for the management of snakebite envenomation.

Publications
Pillay has contributed to the field as the author and editor of textbooks, which are utilised as primary educational materials in medical institutions across India. . Few are as follows:


 * 1) Paras Medical Publisher
 * 2) Textbook of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology (19th edition) (2019)
 * 3) Practical Medicolegal Manual, Vol 1 (Medical Ethics, Clinical Forensics & Toxicology) (2019)
 * 4) Comprehensive Medical Toxicology (3rd edition) (2018)
 * 5) Jaypee Brothers Medical Publisher
 * 6) Modern Medical Toxicology (4th edition)

Pillay has contributed sections on toxicology to textbooks such as:


 * 1) Poisonous Indian Plants ,Oxford Textbook of Medicine (5th edition), Oxford University Press, UK
 * 2) Occupational Hazards, API Textbook of Medicine (8th edition) 2008, Association of Physicians, India
 * 3) General Management of Poisoning, Textbook of Emergency and Trauma Care 2018, Jaypee Brothers, India
 * 4) Cardiovascular Toxicology, Tandon's Textbook of Cardiology 2010, Wolters Kluwer, India
 * 5) World Health Organization Guidelines, Geneva: World Health Organization
 * 6) Production Control and Regulation of Snake Antivenom Immunoglobulins ,2010.
 * 7) Brief Guide to Analytical Methods for Measuring Lead in Blood (2nd edition), 2020
 * 8) Guidelines for Establishing a Poison Centre, 2020

Education and training
Pillay is invited to speak on current topics within forensic medicine and toxicology, both in India and internationally. Throughout his 30-year career, he has delivered more than 200 invited lectures.

Awards

 * 1) Society of Toxicology, USA (SOT Endowment Fund)/International Union of Toxicology Travel Award - 2018
 * 2) * Awarded at the SOT's 57th Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, USA
 * 3) VVP-Lifetime Achievement Award in Toxicology-2021.jpgLifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Medical Toxicology in India - 2021 '''
 * 4) * Awarded by the Indian Society of Toxicology at their 15th annual national conference in Madurai, Tamil Nadu
 * 5) Fellowship of the Indian Congress of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology - 2007
 * 6) * Awarded in the 8th Annual Conference of Indian Congress of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, JN Medical College, Belgaum, Karnataka.
 * 7) Scroll of Honour from Goa Medical College for 'Dedicated Teaching Service' - 2014
 * 8) VR Joshi JAPI Outstanding Best Referee Award - 2006
 * 9) * For Toxicology (2006), APICON-2007
 * 10) Best Indian Author on Medical Toxicology: “Modern Medical Toxicology" - 1998
 * 11) * Presented by the Medico-Legal Society, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi

Global impact
Pillay has collaborated on monographs on analytical toxicology for the World Health Organization and participated as an external reviewer for the new edition of Guidelines for Poison Control published by WHO in 2020. He was a member of the working group for the WHO's Guidelines for Poison Control Network in Edinburgh, UK.