Anil K. Lalwani

Prof. Anil K. Lalwani is the inaugural Dean of the Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology (GSMST), IIT Kanpur. He is a distinguished physician-scientist, educator, and innovator, bringing a legacy forged at the highest levels of academic medicine in the United States — Columbia University, New York University, and the University of California San Francisco.

He obtained his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1985, following a B.S. in Biochemistry from Michigan State University (1981). He completed a General and Thoracic Surgery Residency at Duke University Medical Center (1985–87), an Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Residency (1987–91) and a Neurotology Fellowship (1991–92) at the University of California San Francisco, and served as a Senior Staff Fellow at the National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders, NIH (1992–94).

He began his faculty career at the University of California, San Francisco (1994–2003), where he was promoted to Professor with tenure and directed a Cochlear Implant Program that achieved national prominence, alongside an NIH-funded laboratory that mapped deafness genes and developed cochlear gene therapy. He subsequently served as Mendik Foundation Professor and Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at New York University School of Medicine (2003–2012), during which the department's research funding ranking rose to #13 nationally and its US News and World Report standing rose to #22, alongside more than $9.5 million raised in philanthropic support.

Since 2012, Prof. Lalwani has held a tenured professorship and served as Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he also co-directed the Columbia Cochlear Implant Center. He additionally served as Associate Dean for Student Research at Columbia University VP&S (since 2021) and as Medical Director of Perioperative Services at New York Presbyterian – Columbia University Irving Medical Center (since 2014). Since 2024, he has also held an appointment as Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, Columbia University.

Prof. Lalwani is one of the world's foremost experts in hearing science and surgical innovation. His NIH- and DoD-funded research agenda spans molecular genetics of deafness, gene transfer therapy for hearing disorders, and cutting-edge microneedle technology for inner-ear and ocular drug delivery — a convergence of engineering and medicine that defines GSMST's ethos. His clinical mastery covers cochlear implantation, Meniere's disease, chronic ear disease, cholesteatoma, facial nerve disorders, otosclerosis, superior semicircular canal dehiscence, glomus tumors, acoustic neuromas, skull base surgery, and gamma knife therapy.

Prof. Lalwani's leadership roles have included membership on the Advisory Council of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH; the Board of Directors and Chair of the Council of Scientific Trustees of the Hearing Health Foundation; the FDA Advisory Panel on Ear, Nose & Throat Devices; and the Presidency of the Columbia University Asian Faculty Association. He is also Past-President and Treasurer of the American Neurotology Society, Past-President, Treasurer, and Program Chair of the American Auditory Society, Past-President and Vice-President of the New York Otologic Society, and Past-President of the Otosclerosis Study Group, and serves as Chief Medical Innovation Officer of the Columbia BioMedX Technology Accelerator Program.

Among his honors are the ARO Innovator Award in Clinical Science (2026), election to the Collegium Oto-Rhino-Laryngologicum, inclusion among Castle Connolly America's Top Doctors for more than fifteen years, and recognition in New York Magazine's "Best Doctors" listings (2009–2023).

His appointment as inaugural Dean reflects IIT Kanpur's commitment to building a world-class, technology-driven medical institution — one that integrates advanced clinical care with cutting-edge deep technologies such as digital health, medical robotics, and point-of-care devices to deliver high-quality, affordable healthcare.