Dr. V. V. Pillay

Dr. Pillay obtained his MBBS and MD from Gandhi Medical College, Hyderabad. He is currently the Chief of Poison Control Centre & Clinical Forensic Medicine; Professor & Head of Forensic Medicine & Medical Toxicology in Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Cochin, Kerala..

He underwent additional training in forensic immunology, analytical toxicology & forensic DNA analysis. He is one of the few experts from India who has been a Certified Instructor for the Advanced HAZMAT Life Support (AHLS) Course of American Academy of Clinical Toxicology.

Dr. Pillay has served as Editor of several journals, including Journal of Indian Society of Toxicology (2005-2014), and has been a referee on toxicology for journals such as the Journal of Association of Physicians of India (for which he won the ‘VR Joshi Best Referee Award’ in 2006).

In 2004, he founded the Indian Society of Toxicology, of which he was the President for 8 years.

Dr. Pillay has been a member of the Peer Review Committee of the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) of the World Health Organization, Geneva, and Representative Member for India, Global Issues in Clinical Toxicology (GICT), Melbourne, Australia.

Dr. Pillay was one of the members of an Expert Panel of the Medical Council of India, for updating the Curriculum of Forensic Medicine in 2012 (Graduate Medical Education Program).

He was also a Member of the Expert Committee constituted by the Directorate of Forensic Science, Ministry of Home Affairs, in 2012, for drafting a Bill on Forensic Science.

Dr. Pillay was awarded the SOT (Society of Toxicology, USA) Endowment Fund/IUTOX (International Union of Toxicology) Travel Award – 2018 at the Society of Toxicology’s 57th Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, USA (11-15 March 2018). He was the only recipient from Asia among a list of 5 awardees.

Dr. Pillay was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Medical Toxicology in India by the Indian Society of Toxicology at its 15th annual national conference at Madurai, Tamil Nadu in 2021.

Other Awards:

• Fellowship of the Indian Congress of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology – 2007.
• Certificate of Appreciation for Contributions to the Field of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology – Karnataka Medicolegal Society, 2011.
• Scroll of Honour from Goa Medical College, for ‘Dedicated Teaching Service’ – 2014.
• Certificate of Honour from Jaipur National University Institute for Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Jaipur, Rajasthan – 2017.

Publications:

Books/ Chapters in Books

• Textbook of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology. 19th edition, 2019. Paras Medical Publishers, Hyderabad. 784 pages
• Modern Medical Toxicology. 2013 (4th edn). Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers, New Delhi. 632 pages.
• Comprehensive Medical Toxicology. 3rd edition, 2018. 21 chapters. Paras Medical Publishers, Hyderabad. 1300 pages.
• Practical Medicolegal Manual, Vol 1 (Medical Ethics, Clinical Forensics & Toxicology). 2019. 36 chapters. Paras Medical Publishers, Hyderabad. 500 pages
• Medico-Legal Pocket Book for Casualty Medical Officers. 1997. Sharada Press, Mangalore. 60 pages
• Pocketbook of Pesticide Poisoning for Physicians. 2001. CBS Publishers and Distributors, New Delhi. 100 pages.
• Self Assessment in Forensic Medicine and Toxicology. 2002 (1st edn), 2005 (2nd edn). Paras Medical Publishers, Hyderabad. 354 pages.
• Handbook of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology for Police Officers. 2006. National Police Academy, Hyderabad. 236 pages.
• “Poisonous Indian Plants” Chapter in Oxford Textbook of Medicine, Oxford University Press, UK, 5th edn, 2010. (Key Development Update – Dec 2012).
• “Occupational Hazards” Chapter in API Textbook of Medicine, 8th edn, 2008. Association of Physicians of India.
• “General Management of Poisoning” and “Organophosphorus and Carbamate Pesticide Poisoning”. Chapters in Textbook of Emergency and Trauma Care, 2018. Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers, New Delhi.
• “Cardiovascular Toxicology”. Chapter in Tandon’s Textbook of Cardiology. 2019. Wolters Kluwer (India) Pvt Ltd, Gurgaon.
• Contributor, WHO Guidelines for the Production Control and Regulation of Snake Antivenom Immunoglobulins. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2010.
• Contributor, Brief Guide to Analytical Methods for Measuring Lead in Blood. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2nd edn, 2020.
• Contributor, Guidelines for Establishing a Poison Centre. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

Scientific Papers:

Dr. Pillay has more than a hundred publications in national and international scientific journals, of which 20 are indexed in PUBMED and 35 in SCOPUS.

Invited Lectures:

Dr. Pillay is regularly invited as a speaker on various of aspects of forensic medicine and toxicology in India and abroad, and has delivered more than 200 invited lectures in his career spanning 30 years.