Dr. Avya Bansal: A Dedicated Pulmonologist with a Focus on Care and Research

When talking of lung health, very few names registered in the medical community of Mumbai have the same degree of name recognition, respect, and voice as Dr. Avya Bansal. With over 10 years of experience Dr. Bansal is described as an eminent pulmonologist, an educator, researcher, and public health advocate. His work encompasses clinical care, medical education, and research. His reputation in the field of respiratory medicine is well earned. 

Education and Training

Dr. Bansal's own education reflects not just excellence but dedication to achieving that excellence. He began training as a medical student at KMC, Manipal, and received the Sir Ratan Tata Scholarship for meritorious achievement and great potential. He completed his MD in Respiratory Medicine at JNMC, Belagavi, finishing first at his university, and completed a DNB in Tuberculosis & Respiratory Diseases with the National Board of Examinations, New Delhi. 

He added more layers to his education by earning the Fellowship of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (Japan) and MNAMS. In 2024 he attended the ERS ILD Course in Mainz, Germany, which provided him  a deep education in Interstitial Lung Disease. Not just these examples demonstrate Dr. Bansal's dedication to his own education, they exemplify Dr. Bansal's desire to continue to learn. 

Professional Experience

At present, Dr. Bansal is associated with:

• Bombay Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Mumbai
• Lung Care Clinic, Bandra West
• Mumbai Police Hospital, Nagpada (in an Honorary Pulmonologist role).

His positions in these institutions puts him face-to-face with both high burden acute care and high burden subspecialization. In addition to his clinical roles, Dr. Bansal has a strong involvement in the COVID-19 response in Mumbai, working alongside BMC Covid Centres during the most trying days of the pandemic.

In retrospect, colleagues reported, one of the challenges was Dr. Bansal's ability to maneuver between clinical service and training younger doctors. He demonstrated passion for medical education beyond the clinical work he performed. He contributed to strategy and patient management, during some of the most stressful times in our city.

Specialization

Dr. Bansal's practice includes a broad range of respiratory medicine. His areas of interest include:

• Airway Diseases (for example asthma or COPD)
• Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILD)
• Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
• Adult Vaccination Programs
• Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

While at Bombay Hospital, Dr. Bansal assists in the development of the Adult Vaccination OPD, a unique service addressing a preventative service gap for respiratory conditions. This project emphasizes the vision for Dr. Bansal's concept of 'medicine', eg not just treat disease, but to prevent disease.

Research and Teaching

Outside of his clinical practice, Dr. Bansal is a teacher of DNB, supporting postgraduate students in pursuing their careers as pulmonologists. He has also engaged in research at national and international levels.

• He has given over 100 talks at national and international meetings and congresses within India and abroad.
• He was awarded the ERS-ICS Best Paper Grant at the ES Congress, Spain (2019).
• He actively publishes and participates in discussions regarding respiratory health.

His professional niche is established by the link of practice and education where he uses his clinical experience to promote and inform academic scholarship. 

Patient-Centered Care

While Dr. Bansal has an impressive bio of awards, credentials and education; it is the patients’ commentary that completes the picture. Dr. Bansal has a 99% satisfaction rate (139 patients reported). He is seen as thorough, approachable, and attentive in his visits. Patients also commented on his ability to handle complex human conditions and describe them in simple understandable terms.

To clarify, one patient said, “He didn’t just give treatment options, he took the time to make sure I understood why it all mattered.” This patient perspective is important to Dr. Bansal but it also speaks to the fact that he is a physician who can relate to a patient’s multi-layered experience with care. Data proves that the best use of a physician’s technical knowledge can only happen through skilful communication.