Story originally featured in ETV Bharat. Republished with permission.

What began in a modest municipal school in Guntur, India, has become an inspiring story of determination, resilience, and scientific promise. Siva Sai Chandragiri, a PhD candidate in the Department of Pathology at the OU Health Sciences Graduate College, is now at the forefront of critical research examining how cancer therapies impact the brain—earning national and international recognition along the way.

Originally featured in ETV Bharat, Siva's journey has captured attention not only for his academic achievements but also for the incredible determination that brought him from humble beginnings to a leading U.S. research institution.

Chandragiri recently passed his PhD qualifying examination and currently serves as the Principal Investigator on a project that explores how radiation therapy, while lifesaving for many cancer patients, can lead to long-term side effects such as cognitive decline, memory loss, and increased risk of stroke. His work aims to better understand these outcomes and eventually develop medications to prevent or reduce such effects, offering new hope to cancer survivors worldwide.

In 2024, he was awarded the prestigious American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship, a competitive and highly selective honor that supports promising early-career scientists. The award not only provides funding for his research but also recognizes the growing impact of his work in the fields of oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health.

Siva traces the origin of his research journey back to a conversation with his mentor, Dr. Anna Csiszar at Department of Neurosurgery, OUHSC, who encouraged him to pursue his bold idea with confidence. “I mentioned to my mentor that I wanted to submit a proposal to the American Heart Association, and she encouraged me wholeheartedly,” he said.

But the road to OUHSC was far from easy. Raised in the small neighborhood of Guntur, Siva is the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Durga Prasad. “As a child, he helped his father run a tent house business while attending school,” his parents said. His academic journey took him through JKC College and later he graduated with pharmacy from Vishwa Bharathi College of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He went on to earn a master’s degree in pharmacology from Amity University, India.

Despite receiving offers to study abroad earlier, financial limitations delayed his dream. Rather than give up, Siva worked as a Project Associate at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR), saving enough to support his education in the United States.

His drive to pursue science was also personal. Inspired by his grandfather’s longtime dream of seeing him open a medical shop to make medicine more affordable, Siva initially planned to pursue that path. “But somewhere along the way, he said, I decided to go beyond selling medicine, I would invent them.”

Now, in addition to his primary research on radiation-induced vascular injury in the brain, Siva is also investigating the broader effects of cancer therapies on cerebrovascular health. For him, research is not about awards—it’s about helping people. “There will always be struggles on the path to your goal,” he reflects. “But you must not stop.”

The OUHSC Graduate College is proud to highlight and celebrate researchers like Siva Sai Chandragiri, whose work exemplifies not just scientific excellence, but the transformative power of perseverance and purpose.

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This story was originally reported by ETV Bharat and has been republished here to celebrate and amplify the achievements of one of our outstanding PhD candidates.