Father Muller Principal Wins Prestigious Global Young Investigator Award at MASCC/ISOO Congress in Australia
In a moment of immense pride for the nation and the physiotherapy fraternity, Prof. Cherishma Dsilva, Principal of Father Muller College of Physiotherapy, has been conferred the coveted Young Investigator Award 2026 at the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) and the International Society of Oral Oncology (ISOO) Annual Meeting, held in Melbourne, Australia, from 25–26 June 2026. The MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting is one of the world’s foremost scientific congresses dedicated to supportive cancer care, bringing together oncologists, physicians, dentists, physiotherapists, nurses, rehabilitation specialists, psychologists, pharmacists, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals from across the globe. The congress serves as a premier platform for presenting cutting-edge research, advancing multidisciplinary collaboration, and improving the quality of life of people living with and beyond cancer through evidence-based supportive care.
The Young Investigator Award is among the most prestigious recognitions presented at the international congress. It is bestowed upon the first authors of the highest-ranked scientific abstracts submitted by outstanding junior investigators, selected through a rigorous peer-review process from thousands of global submissions. Prof. Dsilva received the honour for her outstanding research titled, “A Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial of an Exercise Oncology Program on Chemoradiotherapy-induced Complications in Head and Neck Cancer.” Her pioneering work highlights the transformative role of Exercise Oncology in mitigating treatment-related complications and improving functional outcomes among patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancers. Her research stood out from more than 3,000 scientific abstracts submitted by researchers from around the world, underscoring its scientific rigor, innovation, and clinical relevance. Significantly, Prof. Dsilva has become only the fifth Indian in more than two decades to receive this distinguished international honour, marking an extraordinary milestone for Indian physiotherapy and supportive cancer care research.
Congratulating Prof. Dsilva on this remarkable achievement, Rev. Fr Faustine Lucas Lobo, Director, Father Muller Charitable Institutions (FMCI), expressed immense pride on behalf of the Management and the entire Father Muller family. “This outstanding international recognition reflects Prof. Cherishma Dsilva’s unwavering dedication to scientific excellence, innovation, and patient-centred research. Her achievement brings immense honour not only to Father Muller Charitable Institutions but also to the nation. We extend our heartfelt congratulations and wish her continued success as she advances the frontiers of research and continues to bring laurels to our institution and to the profession of physiotherapy.”
An accomplished academician, clinician, researcher, and administrator, Prof. Cherishma Dsilva is an alumna of Father Muller College of Physiotherapy, BPT Batch of 2003 completed her Master of Physiotherapy (MPT) in Cardiopulmonary Sciences from Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Mangaluru, before joining Father Muller Institutions as a Lecturer in 2010. Her academic career has been marked by steady progression through leadership positions. She served as the Unit Head of Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy from 2015 and was appointed Head of the Department of Physiotherapy in 2021. In August 2023, she created history by becoming the founding Principal of Father Muller College of Physiotherapy, where she continues to provide visionary leadership focused on academic excellence, research, innovation, and professional development.
Currently pursuing her PhD in Onco-Rehabilitation at NITTE (Deemed to be University), Prof. Dsilva’s doctoral research focuses on exercise-based rehabilitation for patients with head and neck cancer. Her scholarly contributions include numerous publications in reputed Scopus-indexed journals, including PeerJ, besides securing competitive research funding in physiotherapy. She has presented scientific papers at several national and international conferences and is a sought-after speaker at professional forums across the country. Her growing international reputation has earned her several distinguished honours, including the ICMR Young Scientist Travel Grant (2024) and the MASCC Conference Scholarship Award (2025), which enabled her to present her research at the MASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, USA. The MASCC Young Investigator Award 2026 now stands as the crowning recognition of her contributions to supportive cancer care research.
Beyond research, Prof. Dsilva has played a significant role in academic governance and professional development. She has served as a member of the Academic Council of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) and has recently been appointed Nodal Officer for the State of Karnataka by the Karnataka State Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions, reflecting her commitment to strengthening physiotherapy education and advancing allied healthcare professions. Prof. Dsilva’s remarkable achievement is a celebration of perseverance, scientific excellence, and global leadership in physiotherapy research. Her success reinforces Father Muller Charitable Institutions’ enduring commitment to nurturing world-class healthcare professionals and conducting impactful research that contributes meaningfully to global cancer care.
