1972-2025

Dear GUPS member,
Not only the pathology community but the world lost a shining star when ‘Dr Sambit K Mohanty”, our beloved friend, an esteemed colleague, and a human being par excellence, left for heavenly abode on 16th January 2025, after successfully finishing a first of its kind international cancer congress on urologic oncology and urologic pathology held at Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India in collaboration with Genitourinary Pathology Society (GUPS). Dr. Mohanty was the force behind this meeting.
Dr. Mohanty was extremely bright. He did his medical school training from SCB Medical college, Odisha, India with record number of honors and 12 university gold medals. Dr. Mohanty was the recipient of the best medical graduate award. He did his residency in Pathology from PGIMER, Chandigarh after securing a rank in the top 10 in a very competitive entrance exam. Subsequently he moved to the US for a post-doctoral fellowship in Pathology Informatics and Digital Pathology from the University of Pittsburgh. This was followed by residency training in anatomic and clinical pathology from Beth-Israel Deconess Medical Center and NYU Langone Hospital, Long Island, followed by fellowships in Urologic Pathology, Translational Molecular Pathology, and Women’s Health at Cedars-Sinai.
With a vision to spread his knowledge, serve his native land, and mentor the Indian medical community, he moved back to his home country where he led several acclaimed medical and research facilities. His latest role was as Director of Anatomical pathology and Research at Core Diagnostics, Haryana, India. He was an avid researcher and had presented his work in international conferences including USCAP, ASDP, CAP, and ASCP. He had more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and served on the editorial boards of Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and IJCP.
A trailblazer in the field of Onco-pathology and Uropathology, Dr Mohanty was renowned for his unwavering commitment to excellence. His unparalleled passion for teaching and sharing knowledge irrespective of barriers of time, place or language transformed countless lives of students and peers alike across continents. He possessed boundless energy that was infectious and his insights on nuances of diagnosis were legendary. Dare say, he was a walking and talking reference book to his colleagues and students, who considered him a source of knowledge and wisdom. He had a special love for renal tumors, whose study was like meditation to him. In his own words, during their analysis under microscope he would transcend to heavens and meet the Almighty. He the epitome of a “doctor’s doctor” who would dare to render rare yet accurate diagnoses on minimal biopsy material thus earning respect from clinical colleagues and ultimately patients, who adored him and call him “Sambit bhai” (a brother rather than doctor). “Tissue” was never an “Issue” with him as he would tirelessly search and study to reach a diagnosis. His unquenchable thirst for knowledge led to fruitful national and international collaborations, and his generosity in mentoring junior colleagues was unmatched.
Beyond being a thorough professional, Dr Mohanty was a beacon of friendship, always ready with a warm smile, a listening ear, a twinkle in his eye and a witty remark. He had an uncanny ability to connect to someone meeting him even briefly, yet walking away feeling like Sambit had known you for many years. He had adopted close to 20 kids living under the poverty line. He considered his friends and their families as part of his own extended family and cared for them as if they were such. He used to call his younger friends his “younger brothers”, to whom he was always available to lend a hand. He will forever be remembered for his warmth, zest for life, and eagerness to help and uplift anyone, even nobody who came across his way.
Though his untimely departure leaves an irreplaceable void, Dr Sambit K Mohanty’s legacy will endure in the lives he touched and innumerable doctors he inspired and mentored (his clones [in his own words]). May we continue to honor his legacy by carrying forward the compassion and dedication he aspired to every day.