NSW young woman of the year (Australia), secured by Indian doctor

Indian-origin Dr. Dharmica Mistry has been awarded the "NSW Young Woman of the Year " award for being an exceptional researcher involved in implementing life changing medical research around early breast cancer detection that will impact millions of women around the world.

She was nominated by the Minister of Health, Jillian Skinner, and the ceremony was held last month in Parliament House.

NSW Health Woman of the Year 2016 citation stated that "Recipient of the 2015 Young Scientist Award, Dharmica is an inspiration to young women considering a future in medical research and microbiology. Dharmica is an exceptional researcher who is involved in implementing life changing medical research around early breast cancer detection that will impact upon women around the world.

"The core focus for Dharmica's work is to commercialize a universal ground-breaking breast cancer screening test in collaboration with the University of Kentucky.

"Without her persistence, unfailing optimism and drive over the past eight years, a transformational global test may have never been developed. The partnerships and research driven by Dharmica have proven 90 per cent accurate in detecting the presence of the most common form of invasive cancer. Dharmica's dream of significantly transforming women's health worldwide through medical innovation is fast becoming a reality," the citation said, according to The Indian Telegraph.

Mistry is the Chief Scientist at BCAL Diagnostics, a small Australian biotechnology company developing a revolutionary blood test for the detection of breast cancer.?

She holds a BSc (Hons) from Sydney University, majoring in Microbiology. She was awarded a PhD from Macquarie University for her work on the detection and characterisation of novel biomarkers in blood and hair that could be used as the basis for a blood test for breast cancer.

Her insight into the potential of fatty acids in the blood stream, to indicate the presence of breast cancer, led to the filing of an international patent and was the basis for the formation of BCAL Diagnostics in 2010.

Despite an initial lack of resources, Mistry has doggedly pursued her vision to develop BCAL's technology as an?accurate, early test for the presence of breast cancer, for women of all ages, worldwide.

Her determination has resulted in her leading an international collaboration with researchers in Kentucky, San Francisco and Dublin, as well as in New South Wales, with the aim of bringing the technology from a research finding to the wider community.

In November 2015, she was?awarded the "Young Scientist Award" at?the World Congress on Controversies in Breast Cancer, in Melbourne, for her outstanding presentation and innovative approach to breast cancer detection.

In December?2015,?she graduated with a distinction from the?NSW Health Medical Devices Commercialization Training Program, and was awarded?an international travel scholarship for her outstanding work in the medical device field.