Madras Medical College wins Excellence Award for research

Madras Medical College (MMC) received an Excellence Award from the Department of Health Research (DHR) of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The award honors the college's multidisciplinary research unit (MRU) for its outstanding performance. E. Theranirajan, dean of MMC, and A. Chitra, the MRU’s nodal officer, accepted the award during the Medical Colleges Research Connect 2025 event in New Delhi. There are 118 MRUs across India, all funded by DHR. Each unit's research projects are reviewed annually based on several criteria, including the number of projects started and finished, funding received and used, and published works. According to Dr. Chitra, MMC excelled in these areas. The unit has initiated 98 research projects and completed 44, in addition to producing 36 publications. Dr. Chitra highlighted that DHR emphasizes translational research, which means studies that can be adopted as government policies. An example of successful translational research from MMC is the Zero Delay COVID-19 Ward. This model was implemented in various hospitals during the pandemic and led to published outcomes. Another significant initiative was the rehabilitation ward for homeless patients, called "Caring for the Uncared for." This project was recognized with a "Best Practice" award from the State government after being published in a recognized journal. Dr. Theranirajan spoke about efforts to encourage medical students and faculty to engage in research. Periodic workshops on research methodology have boosted publications from the institution. He emphasized the importance of research outcomes in benefiting public health and expressed a desire to further strengthen the MRU's efforts.