Dr Yazdi Italia’s (pictured) research has led him to conclude that India is the sickle cell gene capital of the world. Italia stated in a write-up received by Parsiana that he is a pioneer in developing India’s first sickle cell anemia (SCA) control program for the 
government of Gujarat. (SCA, a hereditary disorder, causes brittleness and rigidity in red blood cells, he wrote.) "Striving to translate research into meaningful programs,” under this scheme launched in 2009, Italia initiated mass screening in 14 tribal districts in his home state, he wrote. "All people having the sickle gene were provided counseling, including marriage counseling” for prevention of children with the ailment, and also free treatment at their doorstep.
Chairman of the western zone of the Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohematology (ISBTI), Valsad-based Italia was felicitated with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the valedictory function of the Society’s 44th national conference — TRANSCON 2019 — at Jalandhar in the first week of November 2019. The write-up noted that Italia delivered a talk on "Philanthropy versus Professionalism in Blood Bank Activity” at the conference.
A PhD in biochemistry from Bombay’s Institute of Science, Italia is "one of the pioneers of voluntary blood banking in Gujarat, and founder trustee and secretary of Valsad Raktadan Kendra which runs the Shirin and Jamshed Guzder Regional Blood Centre,” noted his write-up. Among the many accolades he has earned, Italia cherishes most the award received from his daughter Dr Khushnooma Sanyal, herself an Indian Council of Medical Research Fellow, after his talk on Gujarat’s experience with SCA at a conference of the Mumbai Hemetology Group in January 2019.