Prof. Dr. Mahendra Pal bestowed with Padma Shri Award
It is a matter of great pleasure and happiness that Prof. Dr. Mahendra Pal, is honored with India’s one of the highest civilian award “ PADMA SHRI”. He is an internationally renowned scientist and a well known distinguished academician, and has over 48 year’s experience of research, teaching, disease investigation, planning, and administration in the field of Veterinary Science.Our Pashudhan Praharee has bestowed already him “LOUIS PASTEUR AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 2021”
Biography of Prof. Dr. Mahendra Pal
Brief Contribution of Prof. Dr. Mahendra Pal in last 50 years for Padma Shree Award
Prof. Dr. Mahendra Pal, born on 10 th April 1946 in Delhi, is an internationally renowned scientist and a well-known distinguished academician, who has over 50 years’ experience of research, teaching, disease investigation, planning and administration in the field of Veterinary Science. Prof. Pal obtained BVSc and AH (College of Veterinary Science, Mathura), MVPH (All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Calcutta), Ph.D. (Faculty of Science, Kumaon University, Nainital) and D.Sc. (Faculty of Science, Utkal University, Bhubaneshwar) in 1969, 1975, 1981, and 2008, respectively. He was recipient of “ICAR Merit Scholarship” during BVSc& AH, and “ICAR Junior Fellowship” during MVPH. He got “First Position” in MVPH at the All-India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Calcutta. He was recipient of the highly prestigious “Jawaharlal Nehru Award in 1982 by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research New Delhi on his meritorious and outstanding research conducted during Ph.D. Prof. Pal worked in Veterinary (Animal Husbandry Department, Delhi; NDDB, Anand; Veterinary College, Anand) and Medical organization (Dr.R.P.Centre of Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS, New Delhi; V.P. Chest Institute, University of Delhi) in India and other foreign countries (Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand; Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Tokyo University, Japan and Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia); and published over 750 papers, authored 9 books and contributed 11 book chapters in several books. Prof. Pal guided over 67 students at DVM, MSc, MVSC and Ph.D. level in India and Ethiopia. He is credited to develop several techniques, such as Sunflower seed agar (Pal’s medium) (1980), Modified sunflower seed medium (1986), PHOL (Pal, Hasegawa, Ono, Lee) stain (1990), Narayan stain (1998), and APRM agar (2015) for the study of fungi, which are implicated in the etiology of many clinical disorders of humans and animals. The technologies developed by Prof. Pal is now widely used in the public health and microbiology laboratories of the world. Prof. Pal elucidated for the first time the role of Cryptococcus neoformans in the mastitis of goat and buffalo, Fusarium solani in corneal ulcer of buffalo, Aspergillus fumigatus in rhinitis of camel and mule, Trichophyton verrucosum in dermatitis of deer, Candida tropicalis in human lung empyema, Nocardia asteroides in keratitis of cattle, Aspergillus niger in abortion of bufffalo, and Aspergillus fumigatus in ocular disorders of cattle and buffalo, Exserohium rostratum in equine dermatitis, and Staphylococcus aureus in wound of Hanuman Langur. He has established for the First Time the prevalence of Cryptococcus neoformans in the environment of New Zealand, Nepal, and Djibouti. He has reported the first isolation of Candida albicans from mastitic milk of camel, Aspergillus fumigatus from pneumonic lungs of chicks, and Trichophyton verrucosum in dermatitis of camel in Ethiopia. Prof. Pal biography has been published in Who’s Who in World, Who’s Who in Asia, and Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. He has published many papers in collaboration with scientists of New Zealand, South Korea, Nepal, Belgium, Georgia, The Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Ethiopia, Algeria, Greece, Poland, Brazil and USA. Prof. Pal is the recipient of several awards and prizes such as Distinguished Teacher Award, Jawaharlal Nehru Award, Luis Pasteur Award of Excellence , Sandoz Medical Times Quiz, Best Review article, Best Research paper, Best Paper presentation, and International Life Achievement Award etc. Very recently, The Indian Association of Veterinary Public Health recognized the laudable contributions of Prof. Pal in the field of Veterinary Public Health and conferred him with “Lifetime Achievement Award” on February 4, 2014. He was the First Asian to work as “Deputy Editor” of Mycoses- An International Journal of Medical and Veterinary Mycology, published from Germany. In addition, he is serving as Honorary Editor, Associate Editor, and Member of the Editorial Board of over 200 scientific online journals. Prof Pal was invited as a “Chairman” of one technical session on Cryptococcosis at the ISHAM, Barcelona, Spain. He is also working as Honorary Member of several professional societies/associations. Prof. Pal is the “First Indian Veterinarian” who worked as “JSPS Visiting Scientist” at University of Tokyo, Japan. He is serving as “Member” of Infectious Diseases Working Group of EAZWA, Switzerland. Prof. Pal started MVSc and Ph.D. programme in Veterinary Public Health at Veterinary College, Anand, Gujarat, India, and he was also instrumental to start Ph.D. in Veterinary Public Health for the First Time in Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. In addition, he has helped few medical colleges in India and Ethiopia to develop Medical Mycology. He has delivered many Guest Lectures on Zoonoses, and Medical Mycology at Veterinary and Medical Colleges in India and other countries, such as Japan, New Zealand, Belgium, and Ethiopia. Prof. Pal was awarded “Fellow” by the National Academy of Veterinary Sciences, India, and also honored with “Fellow” Award by Korean Society of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, Seoul, South Korea for his pioneer and commendable work in Veterinary Public Health. Very recently, the Indian Association of Veterinary Public Health Specialists (IAVPHS) has instituted an award in the name of Prof. Pal to remember and honour his outstanding, immense, commendable, significant, and pioneer contributions in Veterinary Public Health. The name of award is “Prof. Mahendra Pal Zoonoses Award”, which is given every year during the National Conference of Veterinary Public Health to any scientist, whose research is judged the best by the panel of Experts in the field of Zoonoses. Prof. Pal is serving as Honorary Adviser to several institutes for the development of Veterinary Public Health. His comprehensive and systematic work in the last 50 years on the epidemiology and diagnosis has helped the scientists to develop strategies for the control of zoonotic diseases, which are of global importance from public health and economic point of view.
The work of Prof. Pal is frequently cited by many scientists in their textbooks, research papers, reviews, and monographs. Currently, his papers have over 800000 reads, over 25000 recommendations, and over 4000 citations. Surprisingly, his one of the papers has over 625 citations and one review article has over 37000 reads. Based on his long-lasting contribution of over five decades, Prof. Pal has been recognized as an “Indian Legend” in the field of Veterinary Public Health.
Recently, Prof. Pal has launched “Narayan Consultancy on Veterinary Public Health and Microbiology” in 2015 for giving Free Technical Expertise to the scientists, especially from the poor resource nations of the world. His many students are now working in several organizations and institutes in India and foreign countries. Moreover, Prof. Pal is also doing social and charitable work to the poor and needy people of the society since 1970 at his personal level. Prof. Pal leads a very simple life, possesses sweet nature, work silently, and believes in hard work, honesty, sincerity, and dedication.
Current Affiliation:
Prof. Dr. Mahendra Pal, Founder and Managing Director of Narayan Consultancy on Veterinary Public Health and Microbiology, Bharuch, Gujarat, India
Research Interest:
Veterinary Public Health, Zoonoses, Food Microbiology, Veterinary and Medical Mycology, Occupational zoonoses, Food safety, Environmental hygiene, Ecology of mycotic agents, Diagnosis of Mycoses, Epidemiology of bacterial and viral zoonoses, Emerging and Re-emerging zoonoses, Parasitic zoonoses
Postal address:
PROF. DR. MAHENDRA PAL, MVPH, Ph.D., DSc.
B- 103, SAPHIRE LIFESTYLE, BEHIND C DIVISION POLICE STATION
MAKTAMPUR ROAD, BHARUCH -392012, GUJARAT, INDIA
Email ID: palmahendra2@gmail.com
LIST OF THE PADMA AWARDEE 2023 :
https://www.padmaawards.gov.in/Content/PadmaAwardees2023.pdf
