Chandigarh: The Oral Health Sciences Centre at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, earned several major national awards at two prominent dental conferences held from November 28 to 30. The achievements highlight the centre’s rising profile in dental academia and research.
According to The Tribune, Professor S.P. Singh received the Outstanding Professor Award at the Indian Orthodontic Society Conference in Visakhapatnam. Dr. Singh is Professor and Chair of the Unit of Orthodontics at PGIMER’s Oral Health Sciences Centre.
He previously served as Principal-cum-Professor and Head of the Department of Orthodontics at the Dr. Harvansh Singh Judge Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Panjab University. His leadership roles include serving as President of the Indian Society of Cleft Lip, Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies from 2015 to 2016 and Vice President of the Indian Orthodontic Society from 2005 to 2006. He also completed his MDS at PGIMER.
At the Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry (IAPHD) National Conference in Mangaluru, Dr. Arpit Gupta, additional professor in Public Health Dentistry, earned the Mani Bhagyalakshmi IAPHD Silver Jubilee Endowment Award. The award recognises the highest national research output in the speciality. Dr. Gupta completed his Bachelor of Dental Surgery at Subharti Dental College between 2004 and 2010 and his Master of Dental Surgery in Public Health Dentistry at the KLE Vishwanath Katti Institute of Dental Sciences from 2010 to 2013. He later served as a senior resident at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, from 2013 to 2016 at the Centre for Dental Education and Research. Since 2017, he has been a faculty member at PGIMER, contributing extensively to teaching, research, and public health programmes.
Dr. Nishant Mehta, associate professor in Public Health Dentistry, was also honoured at the IAPHD conference with the Best Paper Award for his study on tobacco de-addiction. Dr. Mehta holds an MDS in Public Health Dentistry and is a gold medallist in his speciality. He has received several national and international distinctions for his scientific presentations, including the prestigious Richard Law Award from the Global Child Dental Fund, UK.
A press note stated that these accolades reinforce the Oral Health Sciences Centre’s strength in clinical excellence, scientific research, and public health advancement.