AIPH University gets new VC

Bhubaneswar: The Board of Governors of AIPH University unanimously have elected Prof. A. P. Dash to its helm – as the next Vice-Chancellor. He will be taking over from Prof. J. Mahapatra tomorrow.

Prof. A. P. Dash, a world renowned biomedical scientist recently finished his tenure as the Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Tamil Nadu. Prior to this, he has served at the World Health Organization (WHO) as the Regional Adviser for the South-East region, and as Director, National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) – New Delhi, Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) in Bhubaneswar, National Institute for Research on Tribal Health in Jabalpur, Centre for Research in Medical Entomology in Madurai and Desert Medicine Research Centre in Jodhpur. As per the Scopus rankings of Indian scientists, Prof. Dash was placed first in the area of Immunology and Microbiology and seventh across all disciplines of medicine in India.

He assumes this leadership role at AIPH University when Odisha state and the country is confronting the century’s worst infectious disease pandemic. While case identification, contract tracing and quarantine along with clinical management at dedicated COVID hospitals continue, little is known about the pathogenesis and immunology of SARS CoV-2 disease. Several vaccines are under trial around the world including an indigenous Indian vaccine, but various aspects of immunity to natural infection and reasons for disparity in severity of disease and mortality are not known. Prof. Dash will lead the Deans and a dedicated team of scientists at the country’s only“One Health Center” being directed by Prof. Bramhadev Pattnaik, a newly commissioned first of its kind BSL-3 mobile laboratory, and basic and clinical research being conducted at various field and hospital sites spanning across urban, rural, and tribal regions of Odisha. He will expand the University’s degree programmes including the flagship MPH, MSc and MBA in biological sciences and healthcare domains, and allied health sciences.

“The timing could not have been more apt,” said Dr.  Pinaki Panigrahi, Professor at Georgetown University Medical Center, and President of the Board of Governors of AIPH University. New PhD programmes in virology, vaccinology, chronic disease epidemiology, immunology, and infectious diseases including zoonotic diseases like SARS CoV-2 at AIPH will bring international fame to AIPHU while serving the citizens of Odisha, India, and the region according to Dr. Panigrahi.

For more information on degree programmes, available scholarships, ongoing research projects, and international collaborations interested individuals and agencies should contact [email protected]