Dr Nikhil Tandon gets interim charge as AIIMS Delhi Director

New Delhi: Through a recent notification, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has given interim charge of the Director position to senior endocrinologist and Padma Shri awardee Dr Nikhil Tandon. 

According to the office memorandum issued by the institute on April 27, 2026, the arrangement has been made under Rule 9(4) of the AIIMS Rules, 2019, after the institute relieved Dr M. Srinivas from the post of AIIMS Director following his appointment as a full-time Member of NITI Aayog.

Dr Nikhil Tandon, who is currently Professor and Head of the Department of Endocrinology & Metabolism and Dean (Academic) at AIIMS Delhi, will now look after the duties of the Director in addition to his existing responsibilities. 

The institute clarified that the arrangement is temporary for a period of six months or until a regular Director is appointed, whichever is earlier. The memorandum further stated that Dr Tandon will not receive any extra pay or honorarium for taking on this additional role.

"In exercise of the powers conferred under Rule 9(4) of the AIIMS Rules, 2019 and consequent upon the relieving of Dr. M. Srinivas, Director, AIIMS, New Delhi, on his appointment as Full-time Member, NITI Aayog, New Delhi, the President, AIIMS, New Delhi has been pleased to order that Dr. Nikhil Tandon, Professor & Head, Department of Endocrinology & Metabolism and Dean (Academic), AIIMS, New Delhi, will look after the functions of the Director, AIIMS, New Delhi, in addition to his own official duties in the Institute, with immediate effect as a working arrangement for a period of 6 months or till appointment of a regular incumbent to the post, whichever is earlier. Dr. Nikhil Tandon will not be entitled to any additional remuneration/honorarium for the above additional assignment," mentioned the office memorandum issued by Anshul Mishra, Additional Director (Administration), AIIMS New Delhi.

Dr Nikhil Tandon is an Indian endocrinologist, medical academic and the head of the department of endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He has worked within the public healthcare system of India for 25 years as a clinician-researcher specializing in cardio-metabolic disease, and also at the interface between basic sciences and clinical/public health sciences.

He is a recipient of Dr. B. C. Roy Award, the highest Indian medical award in 2005 and was honoured by the Government of India in 2015 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.  

Dr Tandon has been associated with several national and international bodies, such as the Indian Council of Medical Research, Defence Research and Development Organization, Department of Biotechnology, National Institutes of Health, Institute for International Health and British Heart Foundation, for research on thyroid epidemiology, diabetes and metabolic bone diseases and has participated in many clinical trials. 

His research findings have been published in several national and international journals. His research group has conducted large-scale epidemiology studies in children and adults evaluating the prevalence of cardio-metabolic risk factors and their associations. Of note, he was one of the founding investigators of the CARRS Cohort, a population-based cohort in two Indian metropolitan cities evaluating cardiometabolic risk and incident disease. These studies have evaluated a range of biomarkers, performed exploratory metabolomic analysis, and created a substantial biorepository. Similarly, his work in the field of childhood obesity genetics has revealed strong associations with inflammatory pathway and adipocytokine genes.

His group has also been working in the area of diabetes prevention in women with a prior history of gestational diabetes, and has just completed the largest study, evaluating the role of a lifestyle intervention, in preventing diabetes in more than 1600 women with a prior history of GDM, across 19 sites in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka

He has served on several WHO Expert Groups, including those for updating the "WHO Definition, Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus and Intermediate Hyperglycaemia" and the “WHO South East Asia NCD Regional Technical Advisory Group (NCD-RTAG)”, and more recently on the recently constituted WHO Technical Advisory Group on Diabetes (TAG/D).

At the national level in India, he is a member of governmental advisory committees to develop guidelines for chronic disease care in India and committees to use information technology to improve care in the primary healthcare system. He chairs the Technical Advisory Group of the ICMR Young Diabetes Registry, and is a Member of the Technical Advisory Group for the National Programme for the Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, CVD and Stroke. 

Medical Dialogues had reported that Niti Aayog, the government, has appointed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi Director, Dr M Sirinivas, as a member of NITI Aayog, replacing its Member, Dr VK Paul. The move marks his transition from hospital administration to a role in national policy-making.

Also read- Dr M Srinivas replaces Dr VK Paul as NITI Aayog Member