Was first Vice-Chancellor of Atal Medical and Research University; belongs to village near Shimla
Munish Sood
MANDI:
Prof (Dr) Surender Kashyap, the founder and first Vice-Chancellor of Atal Medical and Research University (AMRU), Himachal Pradesh, retired from service on October 13, 2025, marking the culmination of a distinguished career spanning over four decades in medical education, administration and healthcare innovation.
His retirement brings to a close an era of visionary leadership that has profoundly shaped the medical landscape of Himachal Pradesh and beyond.
As the founding Vice-Chancellor of AMRU since November 2019, Dr Kashyap laid the foundation for the state’s first dedicated Health Sciences University. During his nearly six-year tenure, he successfully affiliated more than 65 medical, dental, nursing, and paramedical institutions, enrolling over 15,000 students across the state.
His introduction of the Integrated University Management System (IUMS) digitised academic operations, bringing transparency and efficiency to university functioning. He also established Himachal Pradesh’s first Teacher Training Centre, an initiative that transformed faculty development and enhanced the quality of healthcare education.
Dr Kashyap’s retirement marks the end of a journey defined by commitment, innovation and institution-building. Born in the remote village of Bhalawag in Shimla district, he rose from humble beginnings to become one of India’s most respected medical administrators. The son of a dedicated schoolteacher, he grew up walking over 15 km a day to attend school, demonstrating an early resolve that would later define his professional life. After completing his MBBS from Himachal Pradesh Medical College (1973-1979), he earned his MD in Internal Medicine from PGIMER-Chandigarh in 1983 and later obtained a DNB in Respiratory Diseases from the National Board of Examinations, New Delhi, in 1988.
His academic journey began at PGIMER-Chandigarh as a Senior Resident before joining Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, as Assistant Professor in 1985. Over the years, he established the state’s first Department of Pulmonary Medicine, along with pioneering facilities such as the Bronchoscopy and Pulmonary Function Testing Laboratories. These innovations significantly strengthened respiratory medicine research and clinical diagnostics in Himachal Pradesh.
Appointed Principal of IGMC (2005-2011), Dr Kashyap undertook sweeping reforms that elevated the institution’s academic stature. He increased the MBBS intake from 65 to 100 seats, introduced new postgraduate programs and achieved long-pending MCI recognitions. Under his leadership, IGMC also established Himachal’s first Government Nursing College (2010), launched paramedical degree programs, and developed the state’s first open-heart surgery facility, transforming the hospital into a multi-specialty centre of excellence.
In 2011, he was chosen as the founding director of Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal, where he led the institution from concept to completion in record time. The college admitted its first MBBS batch in 2016 and later became the first hospital in India to register a patient under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. His leadership also extended to the planning of Deen Dayal Upadhyay University of Health Sciences, Karnal, which included a 750-bed super-specialty hospital.
When he took over as the first Vice-Chancellor of AMRU in 2019, the world was soon struck by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, Dr Kashyap turned the crisis into an opportunity, expanding digital learning systems, ensuring uninterrupted academic operations and strengthening the link between medical research and public health policy.
A prolific researcher and mentor, Dr Kashyap has authored over 100 scientific papers in national and international journals, contributed to several book chapters and guided more than 30 postgraduate students. His work on lung cancer, COPD and sarcoidosis in high-altitude populations has been globally recognized, earning him prestigious honours, including FAMS, FICP, FCCP (USA) and FAPSR (Japan).
He has also been a strong advocate for social health initiatives, launching smoking cessation programs, conducting health surveys among tribal populations, and training thousands of healthcare workers to serve rural Himachal.
