Department

Overview

Established in 1995, the Department of Biochemistry has become a cornerstone of medical education, initially offering MBBS and BDS programs. The MD Biochemistry program was launched in 2008 with 2 seats, expanding to 5 seats in 2023. Additionally, the MSc Medical Biochemistry program began in 2012, followed by the PhD Medical Biochemistry program in the same year. Both programs have undergone revisions to enhance their relevance and effectiveness.

The department is distinguished by its innovative curriculum design, integrating foundational concepts with the latest advancements in biochemistry. We prioritize student-centric learning, providing hands-on laboratory experiences, research projects, and interactive teaching methodologies. Our use of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and flipped classroom techniques encourages critical thinking and real-world application of knowledge. Interactive workshops and peer learning further enhance students’ practical skills and understanding.

Interdisciplinary research excellence is a hallmark of our department, fostering collaboration with fields such as microbiology, pathology, and surgery. Our cutting-edge research facilities support a wide range of investigations, from molecular disease mechanisms to drug discovery. Faculty research is prominently featured in reputable journals, reflecting our commitment to high-quality contributions to the field.

We offer abundant student research opportunities, including participation in ongoing projects and competitive grants, promoting a culture of inquiry and discovery. Our seamless progression from undergraduate to postgraduate programs underscores our commitment to excellence and the development of future scholars and leaders in biochemistry.

Vision Mission

Vision:

  • We aim to equip UG and PG students with in-depth knowledge of both fundamental and applied biochemistry principles, helping them understand the basis of health and disease

Mission:

  • To become a globally recognized department renowned for excellence in medical education, scientific research, and patient care
  • To cultivate a culture of scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and academic debate by offering learning through Competency-Based Undergraduate Curriculum (CBME) and Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS)
  • To advance biochemistry knowledge through innovative and translational research, creating a positive societal and industrial impact, and inspiring students to pursue start-ups and entrepreneurship

HOD

Qualifications: MBBS, MD (Biochemistry), FIMSA, ACME
Work Experience: More than 19 years of teaching experience

Dr. Poonam Agrawal is a highly respected academician and the Head of the Department of Biochemistry at Santosh Deemed to be University. With an MBBS and MD degree, along with prestigious fellowships such as FIMSA and ACME, Dr. Agrawal brings over 19 years of invaluable teaching experience to the department.

Her expertise lies in biochemistry, and she has played a pivotal role in shaping both undergraduate and postgraduate education in the field. Dr. Agrawal is dedicated to fostering an environment that promotes academic excellence, research innovation, and holistic learning. Her commitment to student success and continuous professional development has made her a mentor to many aspiring medical professionals.

Achivements:

  • Best Faculty Mentorship / Excellence in Medical Research Award by Rotaract Club of Medicrew, Dec 2022
  • Awarded the prestigious “Corona Warrior Award” by Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Govt. of NCT, New Delhi, for selfless services rendered during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sep 2021
  • Best Poster/Project Award at ACME, CMC-L, Sep 2017 (Project on CBL in Biochemistry)
  • Best Paper Award at PATHCON 2016 (Project on Proteinuria in Diabetes)
  • Best Poster Award at DFSCICON 2009 (Project on Diabetic Foot)
  • 3rd Prize in Poster Presentation at AMBICON 2009 (Project on Glycemic Control)

Conference Attended:

  • Organized a three-day Revised Basic Course Workshop for medical faculties from 6th to 8th Dec 2022 at Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital, New Delhi
  • Organizing Secretary for “Hands-on Workshop on Jigsaw Technology and its Application in Medical Education” held on 02.05.2022 at MEU, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital
  • Organizing Secretary for “Hands-on Workshop on Self-Directed Learning: From Concept to Implementation” held on 12.04.2022 at MEU, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital

Appointed as NMC Observer for Faculty Development Program for the following workshops on medical education:

  • Curriculum Implementation Support Program [CISP] at GS Medical College, Oct 2020, Hapur
  • Revised Basic Course Workshop at ACMS, New Delhi, March 2021
  • Revised Basic Course Workshop at SMS & R, Sharda University, April 2021, Greater Noida
  • Revised Basic Course Workshop at LLRM, July 2021, Meerut
  • Revised Basic Course Workshop at VMMC, Aug 2021, New Delhi
  • Revised Basic Course Workshop at NDMC, Oct 2021, New Delhi
  • Revised Basic Course Workshop at ACMS, Dec 2022, New Delhi
  • Revised Basic Course Workshop at GS Medical College, Dec 2022, Hapur

CME Attended:

  • Organizing Secretary for CME on “Pathophysiology and Biochemistry of Diabetes Mellitus: Current Understanding” on 14.11.2022 on the occasion of World Diabetes Day, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital, New Delhi
  • Organizing Secretary for CME on “Thyroid Dysfunction: Clinico-Biochemical Approach” on 25.05.2022 on the occasion of World Thyroid Day, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital, New Delhi

Publications in Peer-Reviewed Journals:

  • Original Article: Impromptu yet effective conduct of Jigsaw to teach a topic in biochemistry for first MBBS students. Poonam Agrawal*, P. Devi, E. Jamatia, Nitu, Nisha. Journal of Education Technology in Health Sciences, 2023; 10(3):1–4
  • Case Report: Vegetarian diet-induced new onset acute gouty arthritis in a middle-aged genetically predisposed male: A rare presentation. Poonam Agrawal*, M. Agrawal, D. Chopra. Int. J. of Clinical Biochemistry & Research, 2023; 10(4):1–3
  • Unlocking the mystery of the role of Vitamin D in iron deficiency anemia in antenatal women: A case-control study in a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi. T. Hitesh, Poonam Agrawal, R. Khatuja, et al. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2023; 23:749
  • Role of Micronutrients in the Management of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Suhrud J. Paanchwagh, Pratyush Kumar, Poonam Agrawal, et al. Indian Journal of Medical Specialties, 14(4):p 187-196, Oct-Dec 2023
  • Circulating levels of leptin in different phases of the menstrual cycle—A systematic review and meta-analysis. Suhrud J. Paanchwagh, Pratyush Kumar, Poonam Agrawal, et al. Preprint stage
  • "Impact of Emerging COVID-19 Variants on Psychosocial Health: A Systematic Review". Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Pratyush Kumar, Manali Sarkar, Poonam Agrawal, et al. Accepted for publication
  • Elevation of Lactate Dehydrogenase & its Isoenzyme Pattern in Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension: Etiopathogenesis and Consequences. Agrawal Poonam. J Gynecol, 2023, 8(1): 000253
  • Role of ‘Role play’ in teaching ‘Progression of Learning’ in all three domains [Cognitive, Psychomotor, Affective] for medical teachers. Poonam Agrawal. Int. J. Clin Biochem Res, 2022; 9(4):1-3
  • Correlation of TSH with liver enzymes in patients with hypothyroidism. Pooja Devi, Poonam Agrawal, Elvia Jamatia, Nisha Chauhan. Int J of Scientific Research, 2023; 12(1):1-2
  • The Effectiveness of Self-Directed Learning (SDL) for teaching Biochemistry to first-year medical students. Pooja Devi, Poonam Agrawal, Nitu, Nisha, S. Mehta, R. Jha. Int J Dental and Medical Sciences Research, 2021; 3(3):19-24
  • Hypertriglyceridemia in a Baby with Thalassemia Major. Pandey S, Agrawal P*, Rawat A, Gupta M, Khare P. Indian Journal of Medical Specialties, Volume XX, Issue XX, Month 2020
  • Level of vitamin D in hypothyroid subjects: A study on the suburban population of north-west Delhi. Poonam Agrawal, Shinky Mehta, Niket Verma*. International Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Research, 2020; 7(1):116–119
  • Toxicity of organic solvent in a young painter presenting as transient hepatitis: A case report. Agrawal P, Chopra D*. Gupta M, Santgaurav. Indian J Occup Environ Med, 2020; 24-33-5
  • Pre-discussion and post-discussion assessment scores in a self‑directed learning module implemented in the department of biochemistry: A comparative study. Agrawal P*, Verma N. Indian Journal of Medical Specialities, 2020; 11:81-84
  • Colour coding to facilitate learning in a Jigsaw Classroom – sharing our experiences. Niket Verma*, Shaifaly M Rustagi, Archna Rautela, Poonam Agrawal, Kuldeep Kumar Ashta. Journal of Education Technology in Health Sciences, 2020; 7(2):72–75
  • Implementation of a Self-Directed Learning (SDL) module for undergraduate medical students in Biochemistry: Sharing an experience. Poonam Agrawal, Niket Verma*. International Journal of Advances in Medicine, February 2020; Vol 7 | Issue 2 Page 1
  • Nanotechnology in Medicine: “The Future in Tiny Hands”. Poonam Agrawal*. Journal of Medical Academics, 2019; 2(2):65–66.
  • Perception of a first aid workshop conducted for training lay responders in two professional colleges in North India. N. Verma, P. Gopal*, K. Ashta, Poonam Agrawal, G. Bagga, S. K. Mishra, P. Verma. Journal of Education Technology in Health Sciences, September - December 2019; 6(3):82 - 87
  • Perception analysis of students and faculty of a self-directed learning module in biochemistry in a north Indian medical college. Poonam Agrawal, Shinky Mehta, Niket Verma*. Journal of Education Technology in Health Sciences, September - December 2019; 6(3):72 – 76
  • Case-based learning (CBL) as an effective tool for clinic-biochemical correlation among undergraduate medical students: Perceptive evaluation of students and faculty. Poonam Agrawal*, Niket Verma. Journal of Education Technology in Health Sciences, May-Aug 2019; 6(2):37-39
  • Prevalence of hypothyroidism in the first trimester of pregnancy in primigravida in North India. Poonam Agrawal*, Shinky Mehta, Mrinal Gupta, Pratima Khare. Indian J of Obs and Gyne, January-March, 2019; 6(1)
  • Correlation of Cu and Zinc levels with Glycemic Status in patients with newly diagnosed uncomplicated type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Poonam Agrawal, B. Goswami*, M. Verma, S. Arora, B.D. Toora. Indian Journal of Medical Biochemistry, Jan-June 2018; 22(1):32-35
  • A Study on frequency of proteinuria and its determinants among type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients presenting at a tertiary care hospital in North India. K. Ghosh, Poonam Agrawal*, Sumita Sethi, K. Kulhari, N. Verma. Panacea J of Med Sciences, Jan-Apr 2018; 8(1):29-33
  • Level of IMA in newly diagnosed untreated hypothyroid subjects diagnosed during routine screening at a tertiary care hospital in North India. Poonam Agrawal*, N. Verma, Binita, S. Sethi, Pratima. International J of Clinical Biochemistry and Research, Apr-June, 2018; 5(2):310-313, Nov 2018
  • Air Pollution & Cytokines. Seema Saraswati, Richa Dixit, Poonam Agrawal, Manu Krishnan. Journal of Medical Academics, Jan-June 2018; 1(1): 43-49, Jan 2018
  • OSPE-A Step towards implementation of Competency Based Medical Education. P. Devi, P. Agrawal, N. Singh, N. Chauhan. Int. J. of Scientific Research
  • Serum uric acid and lipid profile in diabetic retinopathy in rural Haryana, India. Poonam Agrawal, S. Sethi, V. S. Reddy, S. Lamba. International Journal of Advances in Medicine, April-June 2016; Vol 3; Issue 2
  • Associations of FPG, A1C, and disease duration with protein markers of oxidative damage and antioxidative defense in type 2 diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. VS Reddy, P. Agrawal, S. Sethi, N. Gupta, R. Garg, H. Madaan, V. Kumar. Eye, 2015; 1–9
  • Significance of ischemia-modified albumin as a simple measure of oxidative stress and its discriminatory ability in diabetic retinopathy. Retina, the journal of retinal and vitreous diseases, 2016. VS Reddy, S. Sethi, N. Gupta, Poonam Agrawal, R.C. Siwach
  • Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) and albumin adjusted-IMA (AAIMA) as biomarkers for diabetic retinopathy. Reddy VS, Garg R, Agrawal P, Sethi S, Gupta N. Nepal J Ophthalmol, 2015; 7(14): 117-123
  • Ischemia-modified albumin and nitric oxide in hyperthyroidism. V.S. Reddy, P. Pasupuleti, R. Garg, H. Madaan, Poonam Agrawal. J Invest Biochem, 2014; Vol 1, Issue 1 (37-38)
  • Urban-rural differences in atherogenic dyslipidemia (URDAD study): A retrospective report on diabetic and non-diabetic subjects of North India. Poonam Agrawal, VS Reddy, H Madaan, SK Patra, R Garg. J of Health Population and Nutrition, Sept 2014; 32(3):494-502
  • Periodic paralysis: An unusual presentation of drug-induced hyperkalemia. Poonam Agrawal, D. Chopra, S. K. Patra, H.
Dr. Poonam Agrawal

Professor & HOD

Thrust Areas

  • Clinical Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology and Genetics
  • Metabolism and Metabolic Disorders
  • Enzymology and Enzyme Regulation
  • Biochemical Pharmacology
  • Nutritional Biochemistry
  • Proteomics and Biomarkers
  • Biochemical Toxicology
  • Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
  • Biochemical Research Methodologies

Team

Facilities

The Biochemistry Department at Santosh Deemed to be University is equipped with cutting-edge facilities to support research, education, and clinical services. These include:

  • Research Laboratories: Well-equipped labs for advanced biochemical research.
  • Clinical Diagnostic Labs: Facilities for patient sample analysis and testing.
  • Library: Access to a vast collection of scientific journals, books, and digital resources.
  • Lecture Halls: Modern classrooms with audiovisual aids for effective teaching.
  • Specialized Equipment: Fully automated Roche analyzers, clinical chemistry and hormone analyzers, coagulation analyzers, and Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) devices.
  • Bioinformatics Center: Resources for computational analysis and data interpretation.
  • Biorepositories: Storage facilities for biological samples.
  • Collaborative Spaces: Areas for interdisciplinary research and collaboration with other departments and institutions.
  • Safety Infrastructure: Stringent safety protocols, chemical storage, and biohazardous material handling facilities.
  • Seminar Room: A well-equipped seminar room fostering academic excellence and research within the Biochemistry Department.

Research

  • The Department of Biochemistry has successfully secured a significant number of seed money projects, extramural funds, copyrights, and patents independently
  • The department has also generated a significant amount of consulting income. In addition to various STS-ICMR projects undertaken by undergraduate students under the leadership of the Biochemistry faculty, there are numerous functional MOUs in place. Many research articles have been published in both national and international journals, demonstrating the department's strong commitment to research activities
  • The department has produced a substantial number of books and book chapters. There have been numerous national and international scientific collaborations. The faculty of the department has also received several awards and recognitions, both nationally and internationally

Events

  • National science day
  • National Cancer Awareness Day
  • Covid Vaccine Update
  • International Women’s Day
  • International Yoga Day
  • World Sepsis Day
  • World Blood Donor Day
  • World Polio Day
  • Global Handwashing
  • World Hepatitis Day
  • World TB Day
  • World Leprosy Day
  • National Sancon 2022
  • Free Paper and Poster Presentation Competition
  • National CME “An insight into diabetes mellitus & an update on its various complications”
  • On-site Training Program on Quality Management system and Internal Audit in Medical labs
  • Hands On Training On ROCHE Cobas C 311 Analyser
  • The White Coat Ceremony
  • Seminar on Isoenzymes and its Diagnostic Importance
  • Seminar Presentation on ELISA and its Diagnostic Importance
  • External Guest and PhD alumni lecture on “Inborn Errors of Metabolism”

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