Indian-American physician Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee nominated for the Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction in London

Tags: Awards

Indian-American physician and cancer researcher Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee has been nominated for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction in London, a prestigious £50,000 prize.

An Overview of the News

• His book "The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human" is one of 13 books selected for the long list.

• The six finalists for the prize are to be announced on 8 October and will be revealed during a live event at England's annual Cheltenham Literature Festival.

• The winner of the prize will be announced at a ceremony at the Science Museum in London on 16 November.

• Established in 1999, the award covers several categories of English non-fiction, including current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography, and art.

• Last year's recipient of the award was Katherine Rundell, who was recognized for her biography of the poet "Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne".

Book focus and Mukherjee's background:

• The book highlights the transformative impact of cellular research on medicine, leading to breakthroughs in the treatment of diseases such as Alzheimer's and AIDS.

• Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University and Rhodes Scholar, has authored bestsellers such as "The Gene" and "The Emperor of All Maladies" and has a strong academic and publishing background.