Dr Jeewan Singh Titiyal takes charge as Chief of RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS

New Delhi:  Dr Jeewan Singh Titiyal, the professor of ophthalmology, will take charge as the Chief of RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS on Wednesday.

Dr Titiyal, who is also the chairman of National Eye Bank, AIIMS, succeeds Dr Atul Kumar.

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"The director has been pleased to appoint Dr Jeewan Singh Titiyal, Professor of Ophthalmology as Chief of RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences w.e.f September 1, in addition to his own existing duties and responsibilities, with all powers delegated to other chiefs of the centres at the AIIMS, New Delhi," an official statement issued last week said.

Dr Titiyal, who was conferred Padma Shri in 2014, said he aims to establish RP Centre at the forefront by setting up a dedicated AI-based lab to explore its applications in ophthalmology.

"Scientific advancements in the field of ophthalmology are intricately linked with technological advancements and cutting-edge diagnostics as well as equipment. Artificial Intelligence or AI will increasingly become integrated in diagnostic and therapeutic modalities," he said.

He understands the need to keep up with the changing times and plans to shift to a completely electronic EMR system to maintain the database.

As the entire world is trying to adjust to the new-normal dictated by the Covid pandemic, Dr Titiyal reiterated, "We have to accept and adapt to a modified way of life, and the teaching, training and research protocols need to be suitably amended to keep pace with the new Covid norms."

He said eye-banking and keratoplasty services have been severely hit over the last two years with an increasing backlog and an ever-dwindling supply of donor tissues. New measures need to be implemented to reduce the backlog of surgeries and re-establish the donor retrieval and keratoplasty protocols.

He aims to work with the government and other NGOs to formulate guidelines and plan surveys in order to tackle the overburdening issue of blindness in the country.

"Collaboration is the key to long-term success and scientific advancement. Integrated medicine is the way forward, and RP Centre needs to strengthen interdepartmental alliances as well as collaborations with international institutions and academic bodies to truly perform cutting edge research at par with international standards," he added.

Dr Titiyal, who hails from Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, began his academic sojourn as an undergraduate at the AIIMS, New Delhi, and went on to pursue ophthalmology as his field of specialisation at RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences.

He specialised in anterior segment comprising corneal transplantation as well as cataract and refractive surgery.

Dr Titiyal has to his credit over 30 funded research projects, 400 publications, five books and over 75 book chapters, an AIIMS official said.

He was invited by various international and national scientific organisations to deliver keynote addresses, orations and guest lectures, chair scientific sessions and demonstrate live surgeries, the official said.

He holds the honour of being the first Indian to perform live surgery at ASCRS in the US.

Dr Titiyal has been awarded the ''Distinguished Service Award (2021) by the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, ''Senior Achievement Award'' by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (2016), the ''Achievement award'' by the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (2015), the APACRS Educator Award (2015), the prestigious RP Dhanda Award and P Siva Reddy Award by the All-India Ophthalmological Society and numerous gold medals.

His efforts to promote awareness among the public have been lauded by various social organisations and he has been conferred the Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan Memorial Award (2020), Parwat Gaurav Samman (2019) and ''Uttarakhand Gaurav''(2011), and the prestigious "Rung Ratna" by Rung Kalyan Sanstha, Uttarakhand among numerous other awards, the official said.

He currently serves as the president of Indian Society of Cornea and Kerato-refractive Surgeons (2016 onwards). He has also served as the secretary (2003-2005) and president of the Delhi Ophthalmological Society (2013-2014). 

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