Dr Dheeraj Shah takes over as Principal of UCMS Delhi
New Delhi: Dr Dheeraj Shah has been appointed as the new Principal of the University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), Delhi, succeeding Dr. Amita Suneja, who served as Director, Professor, and Head of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
Dr Shah has been serving as the Director of the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, since 2023. He holds an MD and is also a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FAMS) and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (FIAP). With decades of experience in both academic and administrative roles, Dr. Shah has contributed significantly to the fields of community medicine, child health, and national health policy.
He is (on lien) the Director-Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University College of Medical Sciences (University of Delhi) and associated with GTB Hospital, New Delhi, India. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of ‘Indian Paediatrics’ – the official indexed journal of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics, from 2014 to 2019. He has been honored with a Visiting fellowship by the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), London (2005); and Fellowships of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (2022) and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (2010).
Dr Dheeraj is an avid researcher, and his areas of interest include Public Health and Nutrition, Diarrheal diseases, Micronutrients, Nutritional deficiencies, and Pediatric Emergency Medicine. He has written over 150 papers in Medline-indexed internationally reputed journals and over 50 chapters in various textbooks, including Nelson’s Textbook of Pediatrics, besides authoring eight books. Dr Shah also has an immense interest in teaching and training principles of research and scientific publication. He has organized and conducted several workshops on thesis writing, research methodology, and scientific paper writing throughout India.
He is currently the Associate Editor of Annals of National Academy of Medical Sciences and BMC Pediatrics. He is on the reviewer board of several medical journals, including Lancet, Lancet Global Health, BMJ, BMJ Global Health, Pediatrics, Journal of Pediatrics, Indian Journal of Medical Research, and the BMC group of journals. Talking over as the principal, Dr Dheeraj Shah has given a message for the students stating, “Leadership is all about commitment. UCMS is committed to establishing itself as a centre of excellence, providing expertise and resources for medical education and research stakeholders."
