PGIMER professor Sonu Goel receives international awards for public health research excellence

Dr Sonu Goel, associate professor, department of school and community medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), drenched the city in pride by becoming a 2024 highly distinguished scholar, as rated by ScholarGPS. The globally recognized online platform identifies scholars on the basis of their research productivity, impact, and overall quality.

This award positions professor Goel in the world's top 0.5% of scientists from more than 30 million scientists and recognizes his outstanding science contributions to global public health leadership and tobacco control. This positions him in the world's top 2.96% of scientists in tuberculosis, 1.05% in tobacco, and 2.83% in primary care.

Prof Goel published more than 270 papers in reputable national and international publications and wrote chapters for several books as well as edited and written several books himself. As a director of the International Public Health Management Development Program, in association with the ministry of external affairs, he has managed to train around 1,400 high-level policymakers and professionals from 96 countries during the last nine years.

One of his key contributions to tobacco control is a set of community-level interventions that have made a massive contribution to society. He had conceived and spearheaded the National Resource Centre for Tobacco Control, inaugurated in 2016, which was commissioned by then Union health secretary, and received the high-profile WHO Director-General Award in 2022.

He is also the convenor of the Scientific Support Group, which is directed by the ministry of health and family welfare.

During his distinguished career, professor Goel received many awards such as visiting scholarships by many of the world's premier institutions like Johns Hopkins University (US), the International Union against TB and Lung Diseases, the University Grants Commission, and the Indian Council of Medical Research.

He is also an adjunct professor for Master's in Public Health Program, School of Medicine, University of Limerick, Ireland, and an honorary professor in the faculty of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University in the UK.

Awards and honors are:

His notable awards are the Public Health Excellence of India award (2016), two best researcher awards by PGIMER Chandigarh, Vasudeva Oration and Dr Harcharan Singh Oration by the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (country's youngest recipient) and Dr J E Park Oration by the Indian Public Health Association.

Following his graduation from Maastricht University, Netherlands, and acknowledgment by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, professor Goel toured more than 45 nations in an effort to disseminate his path-breaking research findings. Professional biography bears testimony to a firm dedication towards the promotion of public health and optimizing global health returns.

The ScholarGPS 2024 award recognizes professor Goel's commitment over a lifetime to research excellence in public health and outstanding contributions towards enhancing global human well-being.