Renowned Prosthodontist, Former MAIDS director Dr Mahesh Verma appointed as Vice Chancellor of Indraprastha University

New Delhi:  Dr Mahesh Verma, prominent prosthodontist and former Director-Principal at Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS), has recently been appointed the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, popularly known as Indraprastha University, is an affiliating and teaching varsity; established in the year 1998. The varsity is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), India.

The announcement to Dr Verma's appointment was recently made by the education department. His appointment will be for five years.

Dr Mahesh Verma's contributions in the field of dentistry, especially in prosthodontics is recognized extensively in the country. Noting the same, the Government of India awarded him, in 2014, with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, making him the first dental doctor to receive the award.

He had joined the Institute of Dental Sciences, a dental wing of the popular Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) in 1985 and became the Head of the institute in 1995. At that time, MAIDS was not even a dental college, but just a part of a medical college with a mere 20 admissions and no building to call its own. His initial efforts gradually made the government aware of the necessity of the Dental college needing to have an identity of its own, separate from the Medical College, whether in terms of infrastructure, equipment, faculties, or space.

Dr Verma spent his energy sensitizing the government at a time when people were unaware of the role dentistry could play in healthcare and the modern magnitude of the science.

Dr Verma graduated in BDS from the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram. He also did advanced training in prosthodontics at the State University of New York, Buffalo. and earned an MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi.

He is a recipient received of the State Award from the Government of Delhi in 2001, the Dr BC Roy Award in 2007. He was the Health Personality of the Year for 2012, an honour from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

He is also a recipient of Rotary Vashishat Sewa Samman in 2002, Dr PN Behl Foundation Award of the Delhi Medical Association in 2006, Dr BC Shroff Oration Award of the Indian Prosthodontic Society Annual Conference in 2007, Commendation by the Vice Chief of Army Staff in 2009 and Commonwealth Dental Association Oration Award in 2010.

Dr. Verma is a Fellow of the American College of Dentists (FACD), American Academy of Implant Dentistry (FAAID), International Medical Sciences Academy (FIMSA), Royal College of Surgeons of England (FDSRCS), Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (FDSRCPS) and National Academy of Medical Sciences (FAMS).

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