Chandigarh: 4 eminent doctors have been recommended for the prestigious Padma Awards 2019 by Chandigarh Administration this year. Out of these doctors, 3 are associated with the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI Chandigarh) and the other is the Principal at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH)

The concerned nominees are PGI Chandigarh’s Head of the Endocrinology Department-- Dr Anil Bhansali, Head of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine-- Dr  Digambar Behera, Head of the Department of Neurology Dr Akshay Anand and Dr B S Chavan, Director-principal of  GMCH Sector 32, as per a recent report by TOI.

Every year between may 1 and September 15 recommendations are invited for the Padma awards. After that, recommendations are placed before the Padma Awards Committee. Padma awards committee is constituted by the prime minister which is headed by the cabinet secretary and includes home secretary, secretary to the President and four to six eminent persons as members.

Padma Shri (also Padma Shree) is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. The awards are conferred by the Government of India, every year on India’s Republic Day. The committee deciding the awards is headed by the cabinet secretary and includes home secretary, secretary to the President and 4-6 eminent persons as members. The suggestions received from are placed before the Padma awards committee constituted by the Prime Minister every year.

Dr Anil Bhansali

Dr Anil Bhansali, Head of the endocrinology department, PGIMER, Chandigarh. Dr Bhansali has highest citations and H index scorpous that highlights his research publication and its impact.

He has found a very effective solution of type 2 diabetes through stem cell transplantation technique. He has actively involved in research and clinical activities and has various publication in National and International Journals.

Dr Digambar Behera

Dr Digambar Behera is a Senior Professor and was the Head of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. In his lifetime he gets to serve with many awards.

For his valuable contribution to the medical department this year UT administration recommended his name for the prestigious Padma Award.

Prof Behera is a member of several international and national professional bodies. Prof. Behera is particularly interested in lung cancer.  He is known as a pioneer of lung cancer chemotherapy in this part of the country. He is the founder president of the Indian Study for the Study of Lung Cancer. He has published over 462 papers and has received many awards.

Dr Akshay Anand

Dr Akshay Anand is a research improvement specialist. After obtaining his post-doctoral training at the Department of Immunopathology in the same Institute he joined the University of Kentucky as Scientist and served there for almost two years then he returned to join the faculty of the Department of Neurology PGIMER.

Dr Anand is a research improvement specialist who is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration utilizing invitro, invivo, alternative and biotherapeutic approaches. His other research interests range from analyzing the role of genetic and other risk factors that modify ALS and AMD to the screening of novel drugs for memory enhancement.

He has also been involved in the discovery of an animal model of AMD published in Nature Medicine.

For his marvellous work in the department of neurology this year UT administration recommended his name for the prestigious Padma Award.

Dr B S Chavan

Dr Chavan is the director principal of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). Prof Chavan has made outstanding contributions in the field of mental health and social work for a person with a disability and earned many prestigious awards and honours.

Before joining GMCH, Prof Chavan worked at AIIMS New Delhi as senior faculty between 1988-1996. Prof. BS Chavan did his MD psychiatry from PGIMER, Chandigarh in 1987 and later received WHO Fellowship in community psychiatry from Australia in 1998, Diploma in Hospital Administration (DHM) in 2003 from NIHFW, New Delhi. He is a Fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS), Fellow of International Medical Science Academy (FIMSA).