On the occasion of republic day on 26th Jan, 2014, Mumbai's three eminent doctors were honored with Padma Shri for their exemplary contribution in the field of their expertise. Following this Dr Milind Kirtane, Dr Raman Deshpande and Dr Shashank Joshi were felicitated at Asian Institute of Oncology for receiving the prestigious award. 

Dr Deshpande is a well-known Oncosurgeon in India and also the executive vice chairman of Asian Institute of Oncology is among the three doctors who will be recognized for their efforts and work in their respective field. He trained at the world renowned Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre and worked in Tata Memorial Hospital for 17 years. Apart from writing several medical research articles and books on cancer, Dr Deshpande was also the first person to introduce thoracoscopic surgery at the Tata Memorial Hospital.

Dr Milind Kirtane, ENT Surgeon, has been practicing at the privately-run Hinduja Hospital, Mahim, for four decades. During his long career, he has treated about 1,600 children who had a hearing disability. "My work is concentrated around conducting cochlear implants for the deaf. Since 1995, our team has trained doctors from across India, including public hospitals like KEM, Sion and Nair, to conduct such implants," said Dr Kirtane. "This could help many of the 2-3 million people in the country who are deaf. About 90% of them are children." he added.

Endocrinologist Dr Shashank Joshi practices at Lilavati hospital and has done tremendous amount of work in research and clinical care in endocrinology. On being felicitated by Asian Institute of Oncology, Dr Joshi said, "Currently, There are 65 million diabetics in India. Today, we are next only to China in the number of people with diabetes. I have been advocating the prevention of diabetes through eating less, eating right, walking more, sleeping well and smiling more. We are designing guidelines for physicians to treat diabetes, rather than following foreign models,"