Dr. V. V. Pillay is currently the Chief of Poison Control Centre & Clinical Forensic Unit, Professor & Head of Forensic Medicine and Medical Toxicology in Amrita School of Medicine (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham), Cochin. The Poison Control Centre is listed in the Yellowtox Directory of the WHO website. The Analytical Toxicology Laboratory attached to the Poison Control Centre is accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories (NABL).
Dr. Pillay obtained his MBBS and MD from Gandhi Medical College, Hyderabad. He underwent additional training in forensic immunology, analytical toxicology & forensic DNA analysis. He is one of the few experts from India who has been a Certified Instructor for the Advanced HAZMAT Life Support (AHLS) Course of American Academy of Clinical Toxicology.
Pillay has served as Editor of several journals, including Journal of Indian Society of Toxicology (2005-2014), and has been a referee on toxicology for journals such as the Journal of Association of Physicians of India (for which he won the ‘VR Joshi Best Referee Award’ in 2006).
In 2004, he founded the Indian Society of Toxicology, of which he was the President for 8 years.
Dr. Pillay has been a member of the Peer Review Committee of the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) of the World Health Organization, Geneva, and Representative Member for India, Global Issues in Clinical Toxicology (GICT), Melbourne, Australia.
He was one of the members of an Expert Panel of the Medical Council of India, for updating the Curriculum of Forensic Medicine in 2012 (Graduate Medical Education Program). He was also a Member of the Expert Committee constituted by the Directorate of Forensic Science, Ministry of Home Affairs, in 2012, for drafting a Bill on Forensic Science.
Pillay was awarded the SOT (Society of Toxicology, USA) Endowment Fund/IUTOX (International Union of Toxicology) Travel Award – 2018 at the Society of Toxicology’s 57th Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, USA (11-15 March 2018). He was the only recipient from Asia among a list of 5 awardees.
He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Medical Toxicology in India by the Indian Society of Toxicology at its 15th annual national conference at Madurai, Tamil Nadu in 2021.