Apply Now
V K Mehta

DEAN, SMIMS (Since 1st February, 2019)

 

Name          :    Brig (Dr) Vijay Kumar Mehta, MBBS  MD  PGDCA

Email Id      :    smims@smu.edu.in ; dean@smims.smu.edu.in

Contact No :    03592-270535 (office landline) ; 03592-231496 (office FAX)

                       9609822889 (mobile)

 

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Instrumental in the control of an outbreak of MT Malaria among a large number of newly inducted troops deployed in Counter-Insurgency operations in the North Eastern part of India in Oct-Nov 2003.
  • Involved in the planning and execution of post Tsunami disaster relief efforts in the Southern Coast of India and Sri Lanka which were badly affected by the tsunami in Dec 2004.
  • Actively involved in the Medical Relief efforts following the floods due to torrential rains in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka from Jul to Dec 2005.
  • Actively involved in the investigation and control of the outbreak of Chikungunya in Kerala state in Apr-May 2007.
  • As Deputy Commandant of a Command Hospital in the Northern Sector, ensured reception and smooth management of a large number of battle / non battle casualties from forward areas.

 

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

  • MBBS: Govt. Medical College, Jabalpur (1977).
  • MD (Community Medicine): Armed Forces Medical College, Pune (1986).
  • PGDCA: BCIT, Hyderabad 1992.
  • Training in Medical Entomology: Defence Research Laboratory Tezpur (1986).
  • WHO Sponsored Certificate Course in: National Institute of Nutrition Secunderabad (1993) Nutrition for Doctors              
  • Certificate Training Programme on: All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi (1996)     Health and Hospital Management
  • Training in DOTS Treatment for:  National Tuberculosis Institute, Bangalore (1999) Tuberculosis
  • Training in Operation Research: National Tuberculosis Institute Bangalore (2016)

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Initially worked as Medical Officer and Regimental Medical Officer in field areas for a few years. After doing MD in Community Medicine in 1986 from AFMC Pune, held the appointments of Health Officer in various garrisons of the Indian Armed Forces. Responsibilities included prevention and control of communicable disease among troops and their families in the garrisons with a special emphasis on prevention of vector borne diseases including Malaria, Filaria and Dengue etc, environmental sanitation, prevention and control of water and food borne diseases, prevention of lifestyle related disorders and HIV/AIDS, sanitary inspection of all military installations in the garrison and health education of troops and families in the station.
  • Subsequently, held the appointments of Dy. Director and Director (Health) in various formation HQs where job requirement included prevention and control of communicable as well as non-communicable diseases with special focus on MT Malaria, HIV/AIDS, water borne diseases and immunization programmes including Pulse Polio immunization. During this period, the main focus was on formulation, planning and implementation of health policies with a view to ensure the highest level of health and well being among troops and their families.
  • Thereafter, held the appointment of Deputy Commandant of a large 800 bedded hospital of the Indian Armed Forces located in a forward area where intensive Counter-Insurgency operations were being carried out and was closely involved in evacuation and management of casualties from forward areas. Responsible for administration of the hospital which included management of human and financial resources, procurement, distribution and optimal utilization of expendable and non expendable medical stores etc.
  • Subsequently, held the appointment of Deputy Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services for 33almost 4 years in the office of the Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services at New Delhi.
  • After retiring from Indian Armed Forces as Brigadier on 30th Sept. 2013 joined Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, Gangtok on 21st Oct. 2013 as Professor in the department of Community Medicine. Subsequently, took over as Professor and Head department of Community Medicine at Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, Gangtok on 1st Feb. 2014. Having more than 22 years of teaching experiences including twelve and half years as Professor and 5 years as Professor and HOD Community Medicine in SMIMS, Gangtok. In addition held the appointment of Associate Dean (Student Affairs) for the last one & half years.
  • Taken over as Dean, SMIMS on 1st February 2019.  

 

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

  • Have numerous publications in various national and international journals. This includes     publications of Operational Research projects on RNTCP, thesis projects of various PhD     scholars and research under Armed Forces Committee funded by DRDO.
  • Co-author of book “Approach to Community Medicine a Handbook for MBBS Students”.

 

CONFERENCES /WORKSHOPS/CME ATTENDED (NATIONAL)

Attended more than fifty national/international conferences/workshops/CMEs at national levels, chaired scientific sessions and presented papers. These include the following :

1.         Attended Workshop on IEC Activities HIV/AIDS Prevention at Armed Forces Medical College, Pune on 24 & 25 Mar 2001.

2.         Epidemiology and Prevention of Suicides amongst Army Personnel, presented in CME on Stress Disorders among Army Personnel deployed in Counter Insurgency Operations, held at 155 Base Hospital in Oct 2003.

3.         Outbreak of MT Malaria among Army Personnel at Karbi Anglong, Assam: an epidemiological study, presented in the National CME on vector Borne Disease 26-27 Mar 2004 held at Armed Forces Medical College.

4.         Chaired a scientific session on HIV and AIDS in National CME on Reproductive and Child Health at Armed Forces Medical College held at Pune from 16 to 17 Aug 05.

5.         Stigma, Discrimination, Confidentiality and Ethical issues in HIV / AIDS, presented in HIV / AIDS workshop for peer leaders of the Armed Forces in Southern command held at Military Hospital Kirkee from 11 to 12 Aug 05.

6.         Chaired a scientific session in HIV / AIDS workshop for peer leaders of the Armed Forces in Southern command held at Pune from 11 to 12 Aug 05.

7.         Epidemiology & Prevention of heat related disorders in desert terrain, presented in CME on desert Medicine at MH Jodhpur – 30 Sep 2006.

8.         Attended HIV / AIDS Peer educator ‘Train the Trainer’ Workshop held at INHS Asvini, Mumbai from 23-25 Feb 2007.

9.         Ethical and Legal Issues in HIV / AIDS, presented in national workshop on prevention of HIV/AIDS organized by the Command Hospital (Southern Command) in March 2007.

10.      Attended HIV/AIDs Peer educator ‘Train the Trainer’ Workshop held at INHS Sanjeevani, Kochi Nov 2007.

11.      Suicide in HIV Positive Personnel, presented in workshop on epidemiology and prevention of suicide among HIV infected personnel held at the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune in 23-24 Jun 2007, organized by the Department of Psychiatry.

12.      Risk Factor Analysis of Suicide on HIV Positive Personnel, presented in CME during Armed Forces Medical Research Conference – 2008, held at Pune from 7–9 Feb 2008.

13.      Attended HIV/AIDs Peer educator ‘Train the Trainers’ Workshop held at Military Hospital Secunderabad 09 to 11 May 2008.

14.      Attended HIV/AIDS: Treatment & Care Workshop held at MH Jalandhar Cantt from 04 to 06 Apr 2009.

15.      Attended Workshop on Palliative Care in HIV & AIDS at Military Hospital Jabalpur from 30 Apr to 02 May 2009.

16.      Attended Workshop on HIV/AIDS Treatment & Care at Command Hospital (NC) Udhampur from 05 to 07 Jun 2009.

17.      Attended CME on What's New in Tropical Medicine at Command Hospital (NC) Udhampur on 24 & 25 Oct 2009.

18.      Attended the National Conference on Preventive Strategies in Public Health: An Update at Armed Forces Medical College, Pune from 07 to 09 Jul 2011.

19.      Attended RNTCP – NTF workshop, Kerala 2016 at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala as acting chairman STF, Sikkim.

20.      Attended North East Zone IAPSM/IPHA conference held at Govt. Medical College Guwahati at 21st Oct 2016 and chaired two scientific sessions.

21.      Attended “Fundamentals of Biostatistics for Health Professional” Workshop held on 19th Nov 2016 at SMIMS, Gangtok

22.      Attended RNTCP Zonal Task Force Workshop for North East Zone at Guwahati on 19th and 20th Jan 2017 as acting Chairman STF Sikkim.

23.      Participated in the workshop on Multiple Choice Questions organized by MEU, SMIMS on 9th – 10th March 2017.

24.      Attended a Sensitization Workshop of Sikkim Bioethics Unit of the UNESCO Haifa Bioethics Chair on 1st June 2015 at Gangtok.

25.      Attended CME on Pharmacovigilance organized by SMIMS, Gangtok, under the aegis of Indian Pharmacological Society on 27th June 2015.

26.      Attended the Workshop on Mission Indradanush and official Launching of Pentavalent vaccine under UIP in Sikkim. Organized by Gov.t of Sikkim at Manan Kendra Sikkim on 15th September 2015

27.      Attended state Workshop for introduction of pentavalent and motivated poliovirus vaccine (IPU) training of trainers on 4th Aug. 2015 at Gangtok

28.      Attended CME on Pediatric TB held on 29th August 2015 at SMIMS, Gangtok organized under RNTCP

29.      Attended Symposium on Cervical Cancer held in Gangtok on September 28 - 29, 2015 organized by Cancer Foundation of India (CFI)

30.      Attended second North East Zonal conference of IAPSM at NEIGRIHMS, Shillong form 16th to 17th Oct. 2015 and chaired two sessions

31.      Attended Training Workshop of State Trainers on Introduction of Daily Regimen for 1st line TB Treatment under RNTCP on 17th & 18th Nov 2015 at Gangtok

32.      Attended Zonal Task Force (TB) workshop at Agartala from 7th -8th Dec2015

33.      Attended NAAC and NBA Accreditation workshop at Manipal University held on 27th and 28th Jan. 2016.

34.      Attended RNTCP – NTF workshop, Kerala 2016 at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala as acting chairman STF, Sikkim

35.      Participated as chairperson in scientific plenary session in National Conference of IAPSM-2018 held from 9th to 11th March 2018 at Smt. Kashibal Navale Medical College Pune.

36.      Participated in three day workshop in “Academic Leadership” from 15th to 17th March 2018 at SMIMS, Gangtok

37.      Participated as a resource person in the “ Stroke & Neuro intervention update”  2018 at SMIMS, Gangtok on 13th April 2018 Chaired a session on “Epidemiology of Strokes”

38.      Resource person for PhD research course  work for the session 2017-2018 under Sikkim Manipal University at Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, Gangtok

39.      Participated in North East Health Care Summit from 8th to 9th Sept 2017 under the aegis of Public Health Foundation of India and Dept. of HC, HS & FW, Govt. of Sikkim at Gangtok

40.      Participated in workshop on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) held on 21st September 2018 at SMIMS, Gangtok

41.      Participated in workshop on Consumer Protection Act held on 25th September 2018 at SMIMS, Gangtok

 


Conferences Attended (International)

 

  • Presentation on Pre-treated Pyrethroid Patches: an operationally feasible method to     reduce man mosquito contact under fast evolving military conditions in hyper endemic     area, in Asia Pacific Military Medicine conference held at New Delhi from 26 to 31 Mar     2006.
  • Presentation on Epidemiology and Prevention of Stress Fractures among Recruits/     Cadets in Regimental Centers, in Asia Pacific Military Medicine conference held at New     Delhi from 26 to 31 Mar 2006.
  • Attended the Conference on Critical Health Systems in Natural Disasters and Complex     Emergencies held at Kathmandu, Nepal from 19 to 21 Jul 2010 organized by the United     States Agency for International Development and the Center for Excellence in Disaster     Management and Humanitarian Assistance
  • Asia Pacific Military Medicine Conference held at Bangkok, Thailand from 30 Apr to 04     May 2012. Attended as head of the Indian delegation and presented a scientific paper     titled “Malaria on the move: Ecological consideration for the Armed Forces”
  • Attended 3rd International Conference on Public Health at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from     27th to 29th July 2017 and chaired three Scientific Sessions.
  • Attended 4th International Conference on Public Health at Bangkok, Thailand from 27th       to 29th July 2018 and chaired three scientific sessions.
  • Participated in 5th International Leh Symposium 2018 at Gangtok Sikkim India from 15th       to 19th November 2018 organized by CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative                 Biology, New Delhi, India

 

AWARDS

  • Senior Colonel Commandant and Director General Armed Forces Medical Services     Award for Best Published Article titled: “Epidemiological Differentials of Hepatitis B     Carrier State in the Army: A Community Based Sero-epidemiological Study.” – 2004
  • Senior Colonel Commandant and Director General Armed Forces Medical Services     Award for Best Published Article titled: “Malaria on the move: Ecological consideration     for the Armed Forces.” – 2007.

 

EXAMINER/GUIDE/MEMBERSHIP

 

  • Has been examiner for undergraduate and post graduate exams for Community                   Medicine examinations of various Universities.
  • Presently guiding four PhD scholars of Sikkim Manipal University and many MD           Community Medicine students of Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences.
  • Member of various national and international health associations/societies.