Farmer’s son from Ukhrul working in Wisconsin U.S. as Scientist

Ukhrul: It is not often that one hears incredible success stories from the hill town of Ukhrul in Manipur. As and when we do, they are mostly about farmers who have built successful business careers, and every once in a while, a footballer story makes it big. But medical science? not so much. This makes Dr. Khanmi Kasomva’s achievements even more remarkable: with perseverance and hard work, Kasomva is now poised to join some of the world’s brightest minds as a research scientist in the United States.
Born to Luingam Kasomva and Jointy Kasomva, both farmers and residents of Hungpung Village Ukhrul, Khanmi is the eldest son of seven siblings. Currently, he is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Gastroenterology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, where he works on chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.
Khanmi, who wanted to become a physician, has been selected to join a prestigious medical college in Wisconsin as a research scientist. He will work with America’s leading hematology and oncology scientists on multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukemia (blood cancer). His tentative joining date, as told over the phone, is the first week of June 2023.
Talking about how she got the job, Khanmi said that in November last year, she came across a job opening on the internet, after which she sent her job application.

“After my application was approved, I had to go through three rounds of interviews through video conferencing in December and January,” he said.
“After I got my appointment letter in February, I called my parents and broke the news. My parents, especially my mother, cried, and I know they were tears of joy. For their financial and emotional support. Without, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” said Khanmi, the first generation in the family to pursue higher education.
When asked why he chose his line of work, he said, “Since childhood, we see various diseases in the community, but no one thinks of detecting or researching such diseases. ”
“Initially, I wanted to be a doctor. But due to my family background and lack of financial support, I couldn’t go any further because I couldn’t afford to waste my time. It didn’t mean I was going to be a doctor. “Can’t pass the exam, but to do that I have to spend my time and resources, which was not possible,” he said.

So, the only option was to pursue further studies in biotechnology and specialize in medical biotechnology and work in cancer biology. That’s how he became a research scientist, he added.
Khanmi received her early education at Hill View English School in Tashar village in Ukhrul. Later, he completed his secondary level education at Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School in his village. He moved to Chennai for further education and studied at Loyola College, University of Madras.
Since 2021, he has also served as the Vice President of the Tangkhul Scholars Association. He is also an Associate Member of the American Association for Cancer Research, USA since 2016 and a member of the Society of American Asian Scientists in Cancer Research since 2019.

Over the years, Khanmi has received many accolades and recognitions based on her studies and research.
He received an International Travel Award from Science and Engineering Research Board, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India in 2019, Visiting Research Fellow at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, USA. (2017 and 2019).
He is also a recipient of International Travel Award from Indian Council of Medical Research, Government of India (2016), Young Professional-II Award from Indian Council of Agricultural Research for North Eastern Hill Region, Meghalaya, India (2016). ), Best Diplomacy Award from Northeast Indian International Model United Nation, Nagaland, India (2013) and Research Fellow Award from Indian Academy of Sciences (2013).