Dr Leena Appicatlaa
Achiever's Success Story
“You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it come true. You may have to work for it, however. “
Meet Dr Leena Appicatlaa, Head of Laboratory Operations, Triesta Sciences for the HCG hospitals group, one of the leading cancer care chains in the nation. She is a dynamic doctor who has successfully managed the transition into the world of corporate administration and made a mark for herself in the Laboratory Diagnostics sector. She is an alumnus of the prestigious National Law School of India University, Bangalore with a PG Diploma in Medical Law and Ethics, Certification in Strategic Management from XLRI, Jamshedpur and currently pursuing Certificate program in Healthcare Management from Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad. She also holds a Black belt in Six Sigma from Anexas, Denmark.
Post her MBBS from VIMSAR and MD in Biochemistry from SCBMCH, reputed Medical Colleges, in Odisha, Dr Leena has been working in the Corporate Diagnostics healthcare sector in India. At a very early stage of her career, in 2001, as Assistant Professor at the prestigious SRMC and RI, Chennai, she understood the tremendous impact Laboratory diagnostics has on Clinical decisions. During the nineties, diagnostics was still considered more of an adjuvant to clinical diagnosis and not the behemoth it is today.
With an eye firmly on the future, she entered the Corporate Healthcare sector with Apollo Specialty Hospitals, Chennai, to head the Biochemistry department. Providing clinically relevant reports, within a defined Turnaround time was the prime focus at Apollo Hospitals, along with enhancing the available Lab test menu.
Subsequently, Dr Leena has shouldered leadership positions, as Head of Labs, at Wockhardt Hospitals, Bangalore, Laboratory and Quality Head at Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore and as Regional Head of Laboratory Operations, SRL Diagnostics.
An interesting dimension to her career interest arrived when she was selected for a rigorous assessment for Regional Business Head for South for SRL diagnostics. The only doctor and woman to be selected for this position, it opened a new vista for Dr Leena as she entered the world of Laboratory Business with industry exposure. The business world with its vagaries piqued her interest and she was able to generate revenue and open new channels of business, bag prestigious projects like a collaboration with the holy Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam, open collection centers and new laboratories.
Artificial Intelligence is now taking the healthcare world by storm. The diagnostics sector, which has always been the first to embrace technology, has started using AI in a big way. Humain Health, a unit of Sigtuple Technologies, Bangalore, was one of the first companies to initiate this. As Senior Medical director at Humain Health, Dr Leena was instrumental in achieving NABL accreditation, merging the best of Lab practices with AI.
She had been invited as a guest speaker on the topic of AI in healthcare by Rajiv Gandhi University, Bangalore, Digitization and IoT by ELETS and as Chairperson of the World Congress on Pathology and Cancer diagnosis 2022. She has trained and mentored Laboratory technicians, Phlebotomists and Quality managers.
She is a firm believer in the power of Training, Technology, Operations and Quality in the Diagnostics arena.
With her medical knowledge and industry experience, she has made deep inroads into Healthcare administration.
She aims at placing Clinical Lab diagnostics at the helm of patient care, with the application of cutting-edge technological advancements and reliable reports.
A voracious reader, interested in Indian heritage, and historical places around the globe, she lives in Bangalore with her family.
