Prof AK Deorari

Dr. Ashok Kumar Deorari: A Pioneer in Neonatology
A world-renowned contributor to neonatology, Dr. Ashok Kumar Deorari is currently serving as the Principal of the Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Jolly Grant, after a distinguished 48-year career at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. He was formally welcomed by Dr. Vijay Dhasmana, Vice-Chancellor of Swami Rama Himalayan University, who wished him a successful tenure.

Dr. Deorari completed his MBBS and MD in Paediatrics from AIIMS, New Delhi. He headed the Department of Paediatrics at AIIMS from 2017 to 2022 and led the WHO Collaborating Centre for Training and Research in Newborn Care for two decades. He also served as the Chairman of the UG curriculum and Skill Lab at AIIMS and is a member of the Institute Body for AIIMS, Kalyani, West Bengal.

Innovations and Global Contributions
Dr. Deorari is widely regarded as one of the foremost contributors to facility-based neonatology in India and Southeast Asia. He was instrumental in conceptualising uniform, structured teaching aids for pre-service and in-service professionals and led the development of webinars, AV lectures, and teaching aids for newborn health.

His specific innovations and initiatives include:
•    Online Learning: As the lead for the WHO Collaborating Centre at AIIMS, he developed an online e-learning platform for professionals on Newborn Health, accessible via the Moodle learning management system (LMS) at www.ontop-in.org.
•    Smartphone Applications: In a first for Asia, he helped create innovative smartphone apps for the "Helping Babies Survive" programme in partnership with the American Academy of Paediatrics.
•    Learning Packages: He is particularly known for his learning package for neonatal nursing, which has been successfully scaled across the states of Gujarat, West Bengal, and Karnataka. He also conceptualised teaching aids for Newborn Health in 2010 (www.newbornwhocc.org) and developed a learning package for premature baby care.
•    Quality Initiatives: The LaQshya programme and a quality methodology tool, both envisioned under his leadership, have been adopted for implementation in middle-income countries and are available as a free e-certificate course at www.pocqi.org.

Research and Accolades
His research excellence is acclaimed both in India and internationally, as evidenced by his international grants and more than 300 research publications. He is the author of six books and has received multiple awards and orations. He is also currently developing the Standard Treatment Workflow for Newborn packages for Ayushman Bharat.

Qualifications:
•    MBBS, MD, Dip NB, FAMS, FNNF

International & National Advisory Roles
Dr. Deorari's expertise is highly sought after globally. He has served as a technical expert for the WHO headquarters in Geneva and UNICEF headquarters in New York, contributing to the creation of global guidelines and policy documents. He is a member of the technical advisory group for Newborn Health in the Ministry of Health, Government of India, and for the Global Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP).

He has also served in various capacities as a consultant with the WHO, UNDP, and UNICEF, establishing facility-based newborn care in countries such as the DPR Korea, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal, and Timor Leste. He has assisted governments in Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Iran, and Mauritius with the operationalisation of CPAP and Neonatal Ventilation services. Additionally, he served as the Co-Director for the Retinopathy of Prematurity programme for India and is a Master Trainer for the American Academy of Paediatrics' "Helping Babies Survive" initiative.