Vivek Lal is new director of PGIMER, Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research's (PGIMER) Neurology Department head, Professor Vivek Lal has been appointed as the new director of the premier institute here.

The appointment comes six months after the retirement of Professor Jagat Ram. Since then, the charge was held by Professor Surjit Singh, Head, Department of Pediatrics.

''The Union Health Ministry has conveyed the approval of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel & Training for appointment of Prof. Vivek Lal, Head, Department of Neurology, PGIMER, Chandigarh to the post of Director PGIMER, Chandigarh for a period of five years from the date of assumption of charge of the post, or until the incumbent attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier,'' a PGIMER statement said here on Friday.

Lal was given a warm welcome by the faculty, administrative staff and various associations/unions of the institute after his appointment, the statement said.

Lal said he will try his level best to make PGIMER more patient-friendly and improve the working environment inside the institute.

Born on September 25, 1963, Lal did his MBBS (1985) from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab. MD (1990) and DM Neurology (1993) from PGIMER, Chandigarh. He joined the institute as an assistant professor in 1994 and became professor in 2009 and head of the department in 2014.

According to the PGIMER statement, Lal has 30 years of teaching experience and approximately 170 publications in peer reviewed national and international journals and book chapters to his credit.