BHUBANESWAR: The recent conferment of the Professor Emeritus title by the Odisha University of Health Sciences (OUHS) on some senior doctors has sparked controversy, with many questioning the selection process.
Last month, OUHS had honoured 13 renowned doctors with Professor Emeritus for their outstanding service to health sciences and education. However, several distinguished medical professionals, widely recognised for their contributions to research, teaching, and patient care, were reportedly overlooked.
The Professor Emeritus title is traditionally awarded to individuals with exceptional academic achievements, ground-breaking research, and significant contributions to medical science. But barring a few, several eminent doctors with higher research output, superior clinical contributions, and national and international recognition were reportedly ignored.
An analysis of ResearchGate scores and h-index rankings, commonly used to assess academic impact, revealed that the combined research score of some awardees falls short of the individual scores of those overlooked. This has raised serious concerns about the credibility of the selection process and whether true merit was the deciding factor.
Some of those ignored are the first vice-chancellor of OUHS Prof Dutteswar Hota, former dean and principal of Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre (now PG institute of cancer) Prof Niranjan Rout, noted gastroenterologist Prof SP Singh, former head of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology at SCB MCH Prof Bidyut Das and noted haematologist Prof RK Jena.
While Prof Hota and Prof Jena were instrumental in initiating kidney transplant and bone marrow transplant in the state, Dr Rout played a key role in starting MCh courses and streamlining course of studies in the newly formed health university. Similarly, Prof Singh is the only Indian to have authored two dozen national guidelines on gastrointestinal and liver diseases and to edit an international textbook of hepatology, published by Elsevier. Prof Das is a pioneer in rheumatology research.
“This is a disservice to the medical community. The title of Professor Emeritus is meant to honour academic integrity, but it appears to have been reduced to a tool for rewarding loyalty,” said a senior professor on the condition of anonymity.
Vice-chancellor of OUHS Prof Manash Ranjan Sahoo, however, refuted allegations saying a committee had selected the 13 distinguished professors for their contribution to health sciences and education.
“This is a beginning and will be an ongoing process. There are many deserving medical professionals who will be conferred subsequently as per the decision of the university,” he said.