Haryana’s BPS Government Medical College becomes the first Indian college to win an international innovation award

Ron Harden (R) presents the IMU-Ron Harden Award for Innovation in Medical Education (IMU-RHIME) to Sumita Sethi, Professor of Ophthalmology at BPSGMC

A team from Haryana’s BPS Government Medical College (BPSGMC) for women in Khanpur Kalan has won the IMU-Ron Harden Award for Innovation in Medical Education (IMU-RHIME) 2026, the first time an Indian college has won the award. The award was given to BPS Government Medical College’s Women’s Student Leadership Program ‘Network of Student Leaders’ (NEST).

The award was presented at the 19th International Medical Education Conference held at IMU University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and was received by Dr. Sumita Sethi, Professor of Ophthalmology at BPSGMC. Dr. Sethi presented the winning paper on behalf of the school team, which also includes Drs. Renu Garg and Dr. Ruchi Agarwal.

The award is aimed at encouraging innovation in medical education and recognizing innovation by academics “that might otherwise go unnoticed,” according to the official award document.

“Humbled and delighted to share that our student leadership initiative, NEST (Network of Student Leaders), has received the IMU-Ron Harden Award for Innovation in Medical Education (IMU-RHIME) 2026 at the 19th International Conference on Medical Education at IMU University, Kuala Lumpur,” wrote Dr. Sethi on social media.

“This is the first time since the introduction of the award in 2008 that the traveling trophy has arrived in India,” she added.

Established in 2008, the award has previously been won by medical schools in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the UK, the US and Pakistan.

Under the NEST programme, 278 medical students from 11 colleges across India received leadership training and went on to lead 63 projects targeting community health issues including menstrual hygiene, cervical cancer awareness, child marriage and drug abuse.

“None of this would have been possible without NEST’s core faculty, Dr. Renu Garg and Ruchi Agarwal,” added Dr. Sethi.

The Director congratulated the team for its achievement and termed it a matter of pride not only for Haryana but also for the Indian medical fraternity.

Published – 20 October 2026 16:30 IST