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.”