Dinesh Pendharkar, MD, PhD, FASCO, MBA, is a distinguished medical oncologist with over 35 years of experience in cancer care and Director of the Sarvodaya Cancer Institute in Faridabad, India. A Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO), he is widely recognized for his pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation, CAR T-cell therapy, and precision oncology.
Dr. Pendharkar earned his Ph.D. in Oncology from the Academy of Medical Sciences in Moscow and holds an MD and an MBA. He began his oncology career at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, in 1981, where he helped establish one of India’s earliest bone marrow transplant programs. His international training includes fellowships in Vienna and Germany, which further strengthened his expertise in hematologic malignancies and cellular therapy.
Over the decades, Dr. Pendharkar has led several major oncology departments across India, including as Head of Medical Oncology at Batra Hospital, New Delhi; Asian Cancer Institute, Mumbai; and consultant roles at SL Raheja (Fortis) Hospital and Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai. He has also served as consultant oncologist at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. In addition to his current leadership at Sarvodaya Cancer Institute, he serves as Visiting Professor and Advisor to the International Cancer Institute in Eldoret, Kenya, and Visiting Professor at multiple academic institutions in Uzbekistan, including the National Cancer Institute (Tashkent), Andijan State Medical Institute, and the State Medical Institute of Khwarezm.
Dr. Pendharkar’s contributions to oncology extend far beyond clinical practice. He serves as Director of the Odisha Cancer Care Foundation and Board Member of Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer, Cuttack. As a mentor to government cancer programs across several Indian states — including Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh — he focuses on improving cancer care delivery and empowering peripheral district hospitals.
An esteemed leader in professional societies, Dr. Pendharkar has served as Past Chair of the International Affairs Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Past President of the Indian Society of Oncology, and Past President of the Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. He is also a member of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the Asian Cellular Therapy Organization (ACTO), and the Indian Society of Haematology.
A prolific author and educator, Dr. Pendharkar has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, including several practice-changing studies in the management of hand-foot syndrome. His lifelong commitment to innovation and education in oncology has made him one of India’s most respected medical oncologists and a key advocate for equitable access to advanced cancer therapies.
He is a Member of the Editorial Board of OncoDaily.