Vice Chancellor, RUHS – Strengthening Medical Education, Research & Institutional Standards

After serving in senior academic and administrative roles at SMS Medical College, Dr. Sudhir Bhandari took charge as Working Vice Chancellor of Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS) in January 2022. He was formally appointed Vice Chancellor by the Governor and Chancellor of Rajasthan on 18 February 2022. At the time of taking charge, he identified four broad priorities for the university: strengthening academics, improving clinical work, giving greater emphasis to research, and promoting consistent standards across the growing network of medical colleges affiliated with RUHS. His tenure continued until May 2024.

One of the recurring themes of Dr. Bhandari's vice-chancellorship was the need to raise and standardise academic quality across a rapidly expanding medical-education system. RUHS moved to strengthen implementation of the National Medical Commission's competency-based medical education framework, with closer attention to regular classes, attendance, assessments and early clinical exposure. The university also emphasised medical ethics, behavioural and communication skills, management skills and the effective use of information technology. Academic committees were proposed at medical-college level to support implementation of national guidelines and to make academic monitoring more consistent.

During 2022, RUHS moved to implement the National Medical Commission's Family Adoption Programme in its medical colleges. Under the programme, MBBS students were expected to adopt and periodically follow families, understanding their health conditions and interacting with them beyond the hospital environment. The approach connected medical education with community exposure, sensitivity and continuity of care. RUHS also planned orientation for students from outside Rajasthan so that they could understand government health schemes and guide patients towards available benefits.

RUHS expanded the conversation around professional formation beyond technical knowledge alone. In January 2023, the university entered into an MoU with Sri Sri University for sessions intended to encourage empathy, human values and sensitivity among medical and paramedical students and staff. The initiative was presented as a non-religious effort to help future healthcare professionals better understand patients, complementing the university's parallel focus on ethics, communication and behavioural skills.

Research was one of the priorities identified when Dr. Bhandari assumed charge. On 16 February 2023, RUHS signed a research and academic collaboration MoU with KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KAHER), Belagavi. KAHER described this as its first research and academic collaboration with a State University in India. The collaboration built on an existing women's and children's health research relationship connected with the RAPIDIRON trial and created a framework for broader academic and research cooperation between the institutions.

RUHS also carried major responsibilities beyond university examinations and degrees. During the tenure, the university handled the Medical Officer Recruitment 2022 process for Rajasthan. Results for 1,765 medical-officer posts were released in January 2023, followed by document verification before names were forwarded for appointment. This placed the university in an important operational role supporting the state's effort to strengthen medical staffing, including services in distant and underserved health institutions.

The eighth convocation of RUHS was held on 13 April 2023. While presenting the university progress report, Dr. Bhandari highlighted ongoing development at the medical-college campus, including an intern hostel, boys' hostel and new mortuary under construction. The convocation also reflected the breadth of the university's academic mandate across medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy, paramedical and advanced medical education.

As Vice Chancellor, Dr. Bhandari continued to participate in broader health-policy discussions in Rajasthan. During the state's Health & Nutrition Vision 2030 consultation in 2023, he argued for stronger healthcare services in smaller cities so that patients would not need to travel to major urban centres for every critical condition. His suggestions included expanding timely heart-attack and stroke care in smaller towns, using health data to understand disease patterns, and developing day-care facilities closer to where people live.

University administration did not end his academic engagement. Publications from 2023 identify Dr. Bhandari as Vice Chancellor of RUHS and Professor Emeritus at SMS Medical College, reflecting continued participation in clinical research and academic writing during the tenure. The client curriculum vitae also records multiple 2023 publications in the RUHS Journal of Health Sciences, alongside research in national medical journals.