Om P. Bahl | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1927 |
| Died | December 2004 (aged 76–77) United States |
| Occupations | Molecular biologist, academic |
| Years active | 1962–2004 |
| Known for | Study ofHuman chorionic gonadotropin |
| Spouse | Nirmal Bahl |
| Children | Three children |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan Schoellkopf Medal Life Science Award |
Om Praksh Bahl (1927 – December 2004) was an Indian-American molecular biologist, academic and a Distinguished Professor of theState University of New York.[1] He was known for his studies onHuman chorionic gonadotropin, popularly known as the pregnancy hormone.[2] He was associated with theWorld Health Organization as an adviser to their Population Council and was a member of thePopulation Research Committee of theNational Institutes of Health.[3] The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of thePadma Bhushan, in 1973, for his contributions to science and engineering.[4]
O. P. Bahl was born in 1927 inLyalpur,Punjab Province,British India and did his college studies atLahore Government College and, later, atPunjab University.[3] He was involved in theIndian independence movement and was the president of theAll-India Students Association, a large student organization based in India. Moving to US, he secured his PhD fromUniversity of Minnesota in 1962 during which period, he worked as a research associate atGeneral Mills; his tenure at the Mills was reported to have earned him a patent for an innovation on grocery bags. His next move was toUniversity of California, Los Angeles where he did post-doctoral research in biochemistry and molecular biology for one year and continued his research atUniversity of Southern California from 1964 onward.[2] The next year, he joined the university faculty as an assistant professor and worked for one year before joining theUniversity at Buffalo as assistant professor. He became a professor in 1971 and served as the chair at the Department of Biological Sciences during 1976–83.[3]
One of the main contributions of Bahl was onhuman chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG), commonly known as pregnancy hormone, and his work was reported to have assisted in the development of home pregnancy tests.[1] His researches have been brought out by way of one book,Molecular and Cellular Aspects of Reproduction: Molecular and Cellular Aspects of Reproduction,[5] several text books and articles.[6] He sat in thePopulation Council of theWorld Health Organization and in the Population Research Council of theNational Institutes of Health as a member.[1] In India, he was involved with promoting transfer of technology as a member of the Committee set up byRajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India.[3] He was a Dernham Fellow of theAmerican Cancer Society and was a recipient of their Schoellkopf Medal (1978). He also received the Life Science Award of the Asian Indian Organizations in North America. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honor of thePadma Bhusan in 1973.[4]
Bahl was married to Nirmal and the couple had three children. He died in December 2004, at the age of 87, survived by his wife and children.[3] TheUniversity at Buffalo has since instituted aUS$1 million endowment,Om P. and Nirmal Bahl Professorship, in the name of Bahl couple, by raising the money through public charity.[7]
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