Dr JS Titiyal to take charge as Chief of RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS

Dr Jeewan Singh Titiyal will take charge as the Chief of RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS on Wednesday.Dr Titiyal, who is also the chairman of National Eye Bank, AIIMS, succeeds Dr Atul Kumar.Titiyal, who was conferred Padma Shri in 2014, on Tuesday said he aims to establish RP Centre at the forefront by setting up a dedicated AI-based lab to explore its applications in ophthalmology.Scientific advancements in the field of ophthalmology are intricately linked with technological advancements and cutting-edge diagnostics as well as equipment.

Dr. Jeewan Singh Titiyal will take charge as the Chief of RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS on Wednesday.

Dr. Titiyal, who is also the chairman of National Eye Bank, AIIMS, succeeds Dr. Atul Kumar.

Titiyal, who was conferred Padma Shri in 2014, on Tuesday said he aims to establish RP Centre at the forefront by setting up a dedicated AI-based lab to explore its applications in ophthalmology.

''Scientific advancements in the field of ophthalmology are intricately linked with technological advancements and cutting-edge diagnostics as well as equipment. Artificial Intelligence or AI will increasingly become integrated into diagnostic and therapeutic modalities,'' he said here.

He understands the need to keep up with the changing times and plans to shift to a completely electronic EMR system to maintain the database.

As the entire world is trying to adjust to the new normal dictated by the Covid pandemic, Titiyal reiterated, ''We have to accept and adapt to a modified way of life, and the teaching, training and research protocols need to be suitably amended to keep pace with the new Covid norms.'' He said eye-banking and keratoplasty services have been severely hit over the last two years with an increasing backlog and an ever-dwindling supply of donor tissues. New measures need to be implemented to reduce the backlog of surgeries and re-establish the donor retrieval and keratoplasty protocols.

He aims to work with the government and other NGOs to formulate guidelines and plan surveys to tackle the overburdening issue of blindness in the country.

''Collaboration is the key to long-term success and scientific advancement. Integrated medicine is the way forward, and RP Centre needs to strengthen interdepartmental alliances as well as collaborations with international institutions and academic bodies to truly perform cutting-edge research at par with international standards,'' he added.

Titiyal, who hails from the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, began his academic sojourn as an undergraduate at AIIMS in New Delhi and went on to pursue ophthalmology as his field of specialization at RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences.

He specialized in anterior segments comprising corneal transplantation as well as cataract and refractive surgery.

He holds the honor of being the first Indian to perform live surgery at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) in the US.

Titiyal has been awarded the 'Distinguished Service Award (2021) by the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, 'Senior Achievement Award' by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (2016), the 'Achievement award' by the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (2015), the APACRS Educator Award (2015), the prestigious RP Dhanda Award and P Siva Reddy Award by the All-India Ophthalmological Society and numerous gold medals.

He currently serves as the president of the Indian Society of Cornea and Kerato-refractive Surgeons.

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