Rajendra Achyut Badwe, is an Indian medical doctor and surgical oncologist. He was honoured by the Government of India, in 2013, by bestowing on him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the field of medicine. He was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India in 1956. He passed his M.B.,B.S. in 1978 and did his M.S. in General Surgery in  1983 from the University of Bombay.   Dr. Badwe has more than 26 years of experience as a surgeon and oncologist. He is an international opinion leader in oncology, developing breast cancer care strategies, innovative research, integrating delivery systems, improving quality and cancer management programmes and capacity building of staff on cancer care delivery strategy and practice issues. His significant accomplishments in leadership in cancer care are a testimony to his role as a mentor in developing the cancer care strategy for the Government of India and the World Health Organization (WHO).  His pioneering work on 'Timing of Surgery for Breast Cancer' has induced a paradigm shift towards importance of events at the time of surgery. He has more than 100 publications to his credit and is a Reviewer for many scientific journals including The Lancet and the British Journal of Cancer. Further, he is recipient of prestigious national awards, honours and gold medals.