Prof. (Dr.) Vikas Bhatia
Vice-Chancellor, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya University of Health Sciences, Karnal
Prof. (Dr.) Vikas Bhatia is serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya University of Health Sciences, Karnal. He is an eminent academician, public health expert, and institution builder with distinguished service in medical education, healthcare leadership, research, and national public health systems.
Educational and Professional Background
Prof. (Dr.) Vikas Bhatia was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, with family roots across Chandigarh, India, and Melbourne, Australia. His education up to the secondary level spanned Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh. He completed his MBBS and MD in Community Medicine at Sewagram, Maharashtra. His professional background includes prestigious fellowship associations with IMSA, IPHA, and IAPSM.
Institution Building and Academic Leadership
He served as the Founder Executive Director of AIIMS Bibinagar, Telangana, joining in May 2020 during the COVID lockdown with the mission of establishing the new Institute of National Importance. Under his leadership, outpatient services commenced promptly, multiple departments became functional, indoor and ICU services were strengthened, academic programmes expanded, and research and community outreach were actively promoted.
Previously, he served as the Founder Dean of AIIMS Bhubaneswar from 2012 to 2019, playing a pivotal role in operationalizing the institution from day one. A wide range of medical, nursing, paramedical, super-speciality, and research programmes were initiated during this formative phase under his guidance.
Public Health and Community Service
Prof. (Dr.) Vikas Bhatia's career reflects extensive contributions to community medicine, immunization, child survival, nutrition, disease surveillance, school health, flood response, health training, and health system strengthening. He has led major initiatives in partnership with UNICEF and governmental bodies across Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, focusing on routine immunization, Japanese Encephalitis vaccination, and establishing child survival resource centers.
Research, Publications and Recognition
His academic contributions include over 166 journal articles, 52 funded research projects, technical documents, books, modules, book chapters, and more than 250 presentations globally. He has received multiple honors and recognitions from governmental, professional, and international bodies.
Leadership Vision
As Vice-Chancellor, Prof. (Dr.) Vikas Bhatia brings decades of rich experience in academic administration, public health leadership, and healthcare system development. His journey reflects a steadfast commitment to elevating excellence in health sciences education and service to the nation.