Dr BN Gangadhar takes Charge as Chairperson NMC, 3 other appointments made

New Delhi: Noted Psychiatrist Dr BN Gangadhar, who till now had been holding the charge as the officiating chairperson of the National Medical Commission (NMC), has been officially appointed to the post of Chairperson, NMC. Confirmation of his appointment came as the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed various individuals to posts of the National Medical Commission and the Autonomous Boards. Three other major appointments have also been made in the NMC, in the same order. 

Dr. Gangadhar took the charge as officiating chairperson of NMC on 25.09.2023 after the tenure of Dr. Suresh Chandra Sharma had come to an end. When he was appointed as the officiating Chairperson of the NMC, Dr Gangadhar was serving as the President for Medical Assessment and Rating Board

Dr BN Gangadhar is Renowned Psychiatrist and a Former Director of the prestigious National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS.  Dr. Gangadhar, a Senior Professor of Psychiatry, has over 30 years of extensive experience in mental health, encompassing both clinical and academic perspectives. He earned his MBBS degree from Bangalore Medical College in 1978 and joined NIMHANS as faculty in 1982 after completing his MD in Psychiatry from the same institute in 1981. In 2006, he was honored with the Fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences (FAMS) degree, and in 2012, he received a D.Sc. (Doctor of Science) from SVYASA Yoga University, Bengaluru, for his research on Yoga and Mental Health.

Through the same ACC order, Dr Sanjay Behari, Director of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram, has been given charge of the President of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB). Prof. Dr. Sanjay Behari is a neurosurgeon from Lucknow who before taking charge as director of SCTIMST was an additional professor and unit head in the Department of Neurosurgery at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), Lucknow. He holds an MS in General Surgery, as well as MCH and DNB in Neurosurgery, all from SGPGI, Lucknow. Dr. Behari specializes in skull base and neurooncology, complex spine and craniovertebral junction, and vascular neurosurgery.

Meanwhile Oncologist, Dr Anil D’Cruz has been appointed as a a whole-time member of the Post-Graduate Medical Education Board. Dr Cruz is Director (Oncology) of Apollo Hospital, Mumbai. As a well-recognized global leader, clinician, researcher and teacher in Head and Neck Oncology, Dr. Anil K. D’Cruz has over 30 years of experience in the field of cancer care. His landmark contribution on the management was neck nodes in oral cancer was awarded the prestigious plenary at the American Society of Clinical Oncology in 2015.

The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet has also appointed world oncologist and Padma Shri awardee Dr. Rajendra Achyut Badwe, Professor Emeritus at Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, as a part-time member of the Under-Graduate Medical Education Board for a period of 2 years, until he attains the age of 70 years, or until further orders, whichever is earliest.

 With a career spanning several decades, Dr. Badwe has made significant contributions to the field of oncology, particularly in breast cancer research and treatment. His mammoth research covering 1000 breast cancer patients in India had a reported effect in reducing breast cancer deaths by 25 per cent. He was conferred the Padma Shri in 2013 by the President of India for the contribution to the field of Medicine amoungst other various accolades 

All the appointments are for a period of 4 years, until the appointee attains the age of 70 years, or until further orders, whichever is earliest.