Department of Physiology 

1.  Dr. Vishal Bansal, Professor

Dr. Bansal is a clinician scientist working as an Assistant Professor in Department of Physiology. He is a medical graduate and has done post-graduation (MD) in Physiology from Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi and has obtained his doctoral degree from Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi, Delhi. Dr. Bansal is a Member of National Academy of Medical Sciences (MNAMS), India and is a qualified Diplomate of National Board (DNB) in Physiology.

During his doctoral research, Dr. Bansal developed a model for coronary artery blockade in rabbits and examined the mechanisms of action of oestrogen on vascular smooth muscles. He has also investigated the effects of hyperosmotic solutions on airway smooth muscles of guinea pigs with bronchial hyper-reactivity.

Dr. Bansal has undertaken a yearlong post-graduate training in ‘Pulmonary Rehabilitation’ at West Park Healthcare Centre, University of Toronto, Canada under the guidance of Professor Roger Goldstein and has established a state of the art, ‘Cardio-Pulmonary Rehabilitation Clinic’ at V. P. Chest Institute for management of patients suffering from chronic respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILD), Post-tuberculosis Sequelae, Bronchiectasis and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

Apart from providing clinical services, he is involved in conducting research in patients undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation program for better understanding of the chronic respiratory disease process and to optimize their management strategies.

Dr. Bansal has supervised and is currently supervising post-graduate medical and doctoral students. He has presented his research work in national and international conferences and has several publications in reputed journals.  

Research Areas:

1. Cardio-Pulmonary Rehabilitation in chronic respiratory patients 

(Clinical research & services)

2. Investigating cardiovascular regulatory mechanisms and airway & vascular smooth muscle function in normal and disease models of small laboratory animals. 

(Experimental research)

Ongoing and completed Research Projects:

Ongoing Projects: 

1. Effect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation on Cardiac Autonomic Dysfunction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

2. Comparative evaluation of Cardio-respiratory responses during six-minute walk test in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and interstitial lung diseases.

3. Effect of the addition of balance training to pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

(Ph.D. co-supervisor).

4. Endothelial dysfunction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. (MD co-supervisor).

Completed Projects:

1. Role of Epithelium in the Airway Responses to Hyperosmotic Solutions in Normal and Sensitized Guinea Pigs. (M.D. Supervisor)

2. Effect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation on Systemic inflammation, Muscle mass and Functional status in Post-tuberculosis Sequelae. (MD co-supervisor).

3. Effect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation on Systemic inflammation, Muscle mass and Functional status in Interstitial Lung Diseases. (MD co-supervisor).

4. Effect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation on Systemic inflammation, Oxidative stress and Functional status in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. (MD co-supervisor).

5. Cardiac Autonomic Dysfunction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (MD co-supervisor).

6. Effect of Ipratropium and Salbutamol on Heart Rate Variability in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. (MD co-supervisor).

7. The effect of course layout on six-minute walk distance (6MWD) in COPD: a prospective within subject study.

8. The In-patient Pulmonary Rehabilitation cohort of 2001: Comparison of patient’s characteristics and their five year outcome.

9. Cardio-protective role & mechanism of action of 17 b - Estradiol in anaesthetized animals.

3)      Extra-mural Funded Projects:  

Cardio - Protective Role and Mechanism of Action of 17-b Estradiol in Anaesthetized Animals

4) Providing Cardio-pulmonary Rehabilitation Services:

Year-wise breakup of number of patients attended to in the cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation clinic.

d)     List of Publications:

1)      Chapters in Book:

Reviewed and contributed in following chapters of ‘Best & Taylor’s Physiological Basis of Medical Practice’, 13^th Edition, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Wolters Kluwer Health (India). Released on 15^th October 2011.

a. Chapter 43 : Introduction to the Function and Control of the Gastrointestinal System.

b. Chapter 46 : Biliary Secretion and Excretion

c. Chapter 57 : The Male Reproductive System 

2) Vishal Bansal: Pulmonary Rehabilitation: A New Hope For Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients.Al Ameen J Med Sci (2011); 4(1): 98-99.

3) Vishal Bansal, Kylie Hill, Thomas E. Dolmage, Dina Brooks, Lynda Woon and Roger S. Goldstein. Repeat pulmonary rehabilitation programs confer similar increases in functional exercise capacity to initial programs. J. Cardiopulm. Rehabil. Prev. 2008 Nov-Dec; 28(6): 410-414.

4) Vishal Bansal, Kylie Hill,Thomas E. Dolmage, Dina Brooks, Lynda Woon and Roger S. Goldstein. Modifying track layout from straight to circular has a modest effect on the six-minute walk distance. Chest 2008; 133: 1155-1160

5) Hanif K., Fahim M., Pavar M. C., Bansal V. & Pasha S.: Hypotensive effect of novel chimeric peptides of met-enkephalin and FMRFa. Regulatory Peptide 2005; 125: pp151-161.