Prof Soniya Nityanand takes charge as vice-chancellor of KGMU Lucknow

Lucknow: Prof Soniya Nityanand has been appointed as the vice-chancellor of the state-run King George's Medical University (KGMU) Lucknow. She will be serving for a term of three years. 

She is the second woman vice-chancellor who has been employed in the post after a gap of 12 years. Prof Nityanand is currently serving as the director of the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences. She has a glorious career and she also served as the Head of the department of hematology, at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences before joining Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences. 

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Prof RK Dhiman, director PGI, has been serving the additional duty in KGMU between July and August 2020. The term of present KGMU V-C Lt Gen (Dr) Bipin Puri ends on August 9. Prof Saroj Chooramani Gopal held the post of VC between March 2008 and February 2011.

As per a recent media report by Hindustan Times, KGMU Teachers’ Association has welcomed the new vice-chancellor. “It’s a Ghar Wapasi for Prof Soniya Nityanand who has done her MBBS and MD from KGMU. We extend her all support and hope the campus will develop under her leadership,” said Prof KK Singh, president of the association. 

Prof Nityanand did her MBBS and MD from King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow. After MD she did a Ph.D in Immunology from Karolinska Institute Stockholm, Sweden. She first worked as an Assistant Prof in Medicine at KGMC, Lucknow, from Oct 1991 to Nov 1993. Thereafter, she has been a faculty member at SGPGIMS from Nov 1993, initially in the Dept of Immunology and since last year in the Dept of Hematology.

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Dr Soniya Nityanand is a recipient of the Department of Biotechnology National Biosciences Career Award for 2003-04, Indian National Science Academy Young Scientist Award for 1990, Dr JC Patel and BC Mehta Award of the Association of Physicians of India for the best case report of the year 2000, Dr NN Gupta Gold Medal for the best for Best Performance in M.D. (Medicine) and Chancellor's Medal for the best Medical Student.

Her areas of research include immune mechanisms in vasculopathies, especially Takayasu's arteritis, immunological basis of a aplastic anemia, mechanism of action of anli-thymocyte globulin in aplastic anemia. Her objective is to understand the pathogenesis of these diseases and develop better therapeutic strategies.