The 2025 ACR Awards of Distinction

Distinguished International Rheumatology Professional Award

The Distinguished International Rheumatology Professional Award is presented to a rheumatologist or rheumatology health professional outside the U.S. and Canada for exceptional contributions in public service and advocacy to the global rheumatology community. This year’s recipient is Rohini Handa, MD, DNB, FRCP (Glasg), FAMS, FACR, senior consultant rheumatologist, Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi.

Dr. Handa is a distinguished rheumatologist, academic leader and educator with a career spanning more than four decades. He graduated at the top of his MBBS class from Government Medical College, Patiala, India, and completed his residency at the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, where he later joined the faculty. In 1995, he was awarded a World Health Organization fellowship at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, further expanding his international academic exposure.

Dr. Handa heads the Doctorate of National Board program in rheumatology at Apollo Hospital. A passionate teacher and compassionate clinician, he has trained generations of medical students while delivering high-quality care to countless patients. His efforts have played a central role in shaping rheumatology education and practice in India. He has been instrumental in strengthening the Indian Rheumatology Association (IRA) and advancing global partnerships, particularly between the Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR) and the ACR. His outreach work has promoted rheumatology in underserved regions across Asia. He has delivered more than 550 invited lectures, including nearly 25 named lectures, keynotes and orations at leading national and international platforms. He is also the author of the widely acclaimed Clinical Rheumatology, published by Springer.

Key leadership roles that Dr. Handa has held include president of the IRA (2009–11), president of APLAR (2010–12), chair of International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR; 2012) and dean of the Indian College of Physicians (2017–18).

Dr. Handa has served on the editorial boards of leading journals, including Rheumatology, Clinical Rheumatology, Indian Journal of Rheumatology, Best Practice & Research: Clinical Rheumatology, African Journal of Rheumatology, Indonesian Journal of Rheumatology and Journal of the Association of Physicians of India.

In recognition of his lifelong dedication, the Indian Rheumatology Association honored Dr. Handa as a Master in 2022, the same year he received the Master Teacher Award from the Indian College of Physicians. In 2023, he was bestowed the MN Passey Award, the highest recognition from the IRA. He was awarded the MN Sen Oration and Shakuntala Amir Chand Prize from the Indian Council of Medical Research and the IRA Oration by the Indian Rheumatology Association. He was named Distinguished Academician by Apollo Hospitals in 2018 and received the Dr. IA Modi Award for Distinguished Clinician from the Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in 2021.