Bangalore: Dr.Rajiv Kumar, an Indian American nephrologist and researcher will be honoured with one of the most prestigious awards in internal science, ‘John Phillips Memorial Award’.

"I think the award is a recognition of the work that's been done along with my generous colleagues at Mayo. People collaborate at Mayo like they do at few other institutions," Dr. Kumar says. "It's also a particular source of pride, given the previous awardees."

The American College of Physicians will be honouring Rajiv of Mayo clinic with this highest professional acknowledgment. He is well-renowned across the globe for his research achievements in diverse areas such as nephrology, mineral metabolism and endocrinology, specifically bone disease in the context of kidney failure and the controlling of phosphate and vitamin D metabolism.

"Dr. Kumar helped train a generation of nephrologists and served as chair of nephrology with distinction," says Morie Gertz, M.D., chair of internal medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. "His contributions to the understanding of vitamin D and its effects on bone are important enough to impact daily on the lives of patients."

Apart from being the leader of many prominent professional organizations, Rajiv has also come up with nearly 250 articles on science.

He received his medical degree from Delhi University and completed internship at New York Medical College and has also earned fellowships in Biochemistry and nephrology, from University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Wisconsin-Madison respectively.

Rajiv joined Mayo clinic, a medical practice and medical research group based in U.S, in the year 1978 and since then he is the driving force behind many clinical and laboratory researches and has proved to be  a successful and distinguished investigator.