Srinagar, May 19: Prof Parvaiz A Koul, Director of the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, has been granted Fellowship of the European Respiratory Society (FERS).
This is a first for anybody from India or South Asia. The FERS 2023 list was revealed on Friday, including 21 recipients from throughout the globe.
Prof Koul, a well-known researcher and pulmonologist, is among those named, making him the first doctor and researcher from South Asia to receive the award.
Prof Koul is well-known for his contributions to academia and research, and he has been named to the Stanford List of the world’s finest scientists.
Prof Koul has over 370 articles to his name, a H index of 69, and has been referenced over 77,000 times.
Top scientific bodies have recognised his contribution to the progress of understanding of pandemics.
Prof Koul is now the Director of SKIMS Soura and the Chief Editor of Lung India, the official magazine of the Indian Chest Society.
Prof Koul told Greater Kashmir that it was a time of enormous delight and acknowledgement of the work being done in Asian nations and many worthy South Asian scientists who work persistently in their different areas of interest.
“Indian respiratory medicine has arrived and is on par with anywhere in the world, and the work done in India is being recognised all over, as evidenced by increasing publications in high impact journals from India,” he added.
Prof Koul said that although the FERS has never before featured a scientist working in South Asia, his participation is a beam of light that shines in the ‘way of the researchers’ and that many others would soon join the coveted bandwagon.
The award, which was established in 2014, is given each year to recognise “excellence in contributions to research, education, and clinical leadership in respiratory medicine from among the ERS membership.”
The ERS is a worldwide membership organisation through which doctors, health professionals, scientists, and other specialists work to promote respiratory medicine.
The association has around 35000 members worldwide.
The list of FERS grantees for 2023 comprises 14 physicians from Europe, four from Australia, two from the United States, and one from Asia (Prof Koul).
Since 2014, there has never been anybody from South Asia.
Prof Eric Bateman and Prof James Chalmers, two of the most well-known personalities in pulmonary medicine, nominated Prof Koul.
These contributions, together with the candidate’s past research records, serve as the foundation for admission to this renowned organisation.
Each year, up to 50 fellows are chosen, and winners may use the term ‘FERS’ after their name.
