IAGB Community Spotlight
Community Spotlight - July 2024 - Seshi R. Sompuram PhD.
Seshi’s journey began in Sompuram, a small village in Telangana, India. He attended middle, high school and junior college in Gadwal, a town renowned for its sarees. He completed his undergraduate studies at Osmania University in Hyderabad and earned his Master’s degree at Boston College. Later, he pursued a PhD in Immunology and postdoctoral research at Boston University School of Medicine, focusing on antibody engineering and the development of therapeutic antibodies.
His professional journey continued at CytoLogix, a diagnostics company later acquired by Agilent Technologies. He co-founded Boston Cell Standards Inc. (BCS) with Dr. Bogen, where he serves as the VP and co-inventor of the technology. BCS is dedicated to creating innovative, quantitative cancer testing standards that significantly reduce error rates. His primary focus has been on technology development and clinical trials.
Seshi shared, “Our clinical trials with our products for breast and lung cancer across the US, Canada, the Netherlands, and Eastern Europe has shown that our standards can identify poorly performing tests and alert labs. Recently, we received FDA approval for our cancer biopsy testing control standards and certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Our main clients are hospital biopsy testing labs and pharmaceutical companies developing antibody-based cancer therapies. We hope our standards will be adapted in hospital labs worldwide, thereby reducing testing errors.”
For past 24 years, he has been a passionate volunteer at Shishu Bharati, which is a 47-year-old non-profit organization at three locations (high schools in Lexington, Nashua, and Walpole), with approximately 850 students, 200 volunteers, and 80 student volunteers. It is a Sunday school that teaches Indian languages and culture to students from kindergarten through 8th grade. Seshi spent the first eight years teaching 1st grade Telugu language, served two years as Secretary, and six terms as President. He expressed that Shishu Bharati has been one of the best experiences of his life. Teaching his mother tongue, Telugu, to first graders has been a proud and rewarding experience, with former students still expressing their gratitude and keeping in touch with him.
As President, he had the honor of working with colleagues across all three Shishu Bharati locations, an experience that was both humbling and enriching. India New England News aptly described Shishu Bharati as “volunteerism at its best.” Seshi felt fortunate to be part of this fine institution, with dedicated volunteers, some with over four decades of service, and a mission to “perceive, preserve, and promote” Indian heritage to the next generations.
In 2023, with the help of colleagues, Seshi established the Shishu Bharati Alumni Association. Alumni are now actively involved, forming a strong network that supports each other and Shishu Bharati. Over the past decade, he has also helped students gain university recognition for Shishu Bharati’s language curriculum, often resulting in waiving language requirement and getting academic credits. He also facilitated obtaining citations and honors from Massachusetts Governor and Senate Offices, recognizing excellence in teaching and contributing to Commonwealth diversity.
Throughout his time at Shishu Bharati, Seshi had the privilege of working with various regional organizations, including IAGB. His collaboration with IAGB has been particularly rewarding, leading to a successful lecture series by Shishu Bharati’s culture teachers, and performances by kindergarten and 1st-grade students at IAGB’s iconic annual events year after year.
Seshi Sompuram has been a steadfast supporter of IAGB and a trusted thought partner for over two decades, always showing up with great vigor and enthusiasm. IAGB appreciates Seshi for promoting India’s cultural and academic heritage with unparalleled humility and passion.