Pune, the dazzling ‘Oxford of the East,’ has long been a beacon of educational brilliance in India, attracting seekers of knowledge from far and wide. Home to world-renowned universities, colleges, and top management schools, Pune has earned a reputation as a hub of intellectual excellence. But that’s not all – the city is also a hotspot for global events, sumptuous summits, electrifying concerts, lively fests, and prominent film festivals.
At the forefront of Pune’s academic excellence stands Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth (DPU), Pimpri, Pune. This remarkable institution started with humble beginnings, housing just one establishment under its umbrella when the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt of India recognized it as a ‘Deemed-to-be University’ on January 11th, 2003.
But DPU’s growth has been meteoric since then, with 11 more professional institutions added over the last two decades. Today, the twelve departments of Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, including the Centre for Online Learning, Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, School of Design, School of Liberal Arts, School of Science & Technology, have made ‘DPU’ a brand name synonymous with excellence in Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Optometry, Biotechnology, and Management.
Building a Vibrant Environment
The vision of the founders of DPU has been to help build an enlightened, culturally and economically vibrant India developed through education in diverse disciplines. The mission of the Vidyapeeth has been to contribute to the socio-economic and ethical development of the nation by providing high-quality education through institutions which have dedicated faculty and state-of-the-art infrastructure that can produce competent professionals and liberal-minded citizens.
This mission statement has been the guiding force that has helped DPU grow and achieve an international brand name and presence for itself as a hallmark of quality in the higher education framework, especially in the healthcare sphere. In addition, it stands committed as part of its Vision 2025 to develop a knowledge centre which will be recognised for its academic pursuits in India and globally.
Pursuit to Raise Academic Standard
The primary objectives of Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth are multifaceted, aiming to establish premier institutions for learning and research and to elevate academic standards to the pinnacle of excellence. The institution strives to develop novel evaluation methods that allow students to reach their fullest potential and achieve their aspirations. To achieve this goal, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth focuses on nurturing the capacity of teachers to provide exceptional education while encouraging students to undertake research and become lifelong learners.
The Vidyapeeth also values the power of collaboration, fostering relationships with higher educational institutions, both domestically and internationally, to promote knowledge exchange and promote excellence. In addition, the institution seeks to engage in community development by undertaking extension activities to serve the larger community, including providing specialized training or coaching for competitive examinations.
Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth also prioritizes the holistic development of its students, aiming to cultivate well-rounded individuals who are informed, globally aware citizens with diverse talents. Through a combination of effective leadership training, value-based education, and emphasis on the right kind of attitudes and interests, the Vidyapeeth aims to prepare its students for success in both their personal and professional lives.
Big Shoes to Fill for the Institute
The institute was built under the guidance and grace of the Founder, Padmashri Dr. D. Y. Patil, an eminent educationist and philanthropist whose vision for a modern India was that education and healthcare should be easily accessible to the masses.
The present Chancellor, Dr. P. D. Patil, has spearheaded a spectacular rise of Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, as a model institution for providing high-quality academics and holistic education across Maharashtra and the country.
Under his visionary guidance and dedicated devotion to the founders’ vision, he has ensured the steady growth of the Vidyapeeth into a force to reckon with throughout the country. Despite his demanding schedule and stellar achievements, he remains humble and is always reachable to every student, staff, and faculty. His pleasant demeanour and devotion to the cause of students make him a popular figure on campus, and the students are always thronging around him as he always has kind words of appreciation and advice for them.
With the Hon’ble Prof N. J. Pawar, Vice Chancellor, at the helm of DPU, it proudly remains the leading destination for quality higher education that is value-based, visionary in outlook and rooted in nationalism and dedication towards the nation.
Omnipresence of the University
The twelve departments presently under the ambit of Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth are providing high-quality education to over 6500 students. DPU has a state-of-the-art infrastructure and enthusiastic teaching faculty that is more than the respective Council norms. All the 143 programs offered in these constituent units of the Vidyapeeth are duly recognised by the respective councils such as NMC/DCI/INC/NCISM/CCH/AICTE/ UGC, etc. All the hospitals viz Medical, Dental, Ayurved, and Homeopathy are NABH accredited, and laboratories are NABL accredited.
Never Ending List of Accolades
Recently, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, has been re-accredited by NAAC in the 3rd cycle with a CGPA of 3.64 on Four point scale at ‘A++’ Grade. The Vidyapeeth is also an ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and Green Education Campus Certified University. DPU has also been categorised as a ‘Category-I Deemed-to-be University’ by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Under the NIRF-2022, conducted by MHRD, New Delhi, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth has secured the 3rd rank in the Dental category, 17th rank in the Medical category, 41st rank in the University category and 76th rank in overall category in India. The UGC has ranked Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, at 9th rank amongst the Cleanest Higher Educational Institutions in the Country in the ‘Residential Universities under the UGC’ category.
Under Swachh Campus Ranking 2019 of Higher Educational Institutions, conducted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, has achieved 9th rank amongst the Cleanest Higher Educational Institutions in the Country in the category ‘Residential Universities – UGC.’
The Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth Global Business School, and Research Centre, as well as Dr. D. Y. Patil Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Institute, were recognized as ‘Social Entrepreneurship Swachhata & Rural Engagement Cell (SES REC) Institutions,’ by the Ministry of Education, Govt of India in 2020.
DPU is recognised as one of the Scientific and Industrial Research Organizations (SIRO) by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) till March 2023. All the healthcare hospitals under DPU, namely Medical, Dental, Homeopathic and Ayurveda, have been accredited by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH), and the associated laboratories are NABL-recognised. The ‘Regenerative Medicine Laboratory’ of Vidyapeeth and ‘Sudhatatva Pharmacy’ of Ayurveda College are FDA-approved, and GMP certified.
Dr. D. Y. Patil Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Institute, Pune, has received the prestigious DST-FIST award for the development of infrastructure and equipment for teaching and Research.
Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth has 98 laboratories for research and student training that offer the most modern facilities for research. The Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Central Research Facility and Microbial Diversity Centre are the three main R&D centres where research is carried out in the field of stem cells, molecular biology and microbiology, respectively.
In the last five years, DPU published more than 4200 papers in International and National journals of repute, which are indexed in Scopus, Pub Med, Web of Science, and UGC-CARE-approved journals. There has been a significant rise in the h-index up to 51. A total number of 15,348 citations have been received in the last five years.
The institution was proud to record the highest impact factor as follows 60.392 (The Lancet), 42.778 (Nature), 21.597 (Lancet Global Health). The Vidyapeeth has filed 17 Copyrights and 33 patents in the last five years alone. Of these, 26 patents have been published, while one patent has been granted.
Sustaining the Legacy in the Future
The Vidyapeeth has provided seed money of more than 393 Lakhs during the last five years towards the cause of supporting research activities. In addition, the university has received extramural grants totalling 1271 Lakhs from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Science & Technology (DST), ICMR and foreign agencies like the National Institute of Health, USA and Harvard Medical School Centre for Global Health Delivery, Dubai.
The Vidyapeeth has ensured that there is every resource in terms of the latest robotic surgery system with a trainer, modern simulators and state-of-the-art library facilities in each constituent college to ensure that the students have unparalleled access to the latest teaching-learning modalities.
Under the benevolent guidance of Dr. Bhagyashree Patil, Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Somnath Patil, Secretary Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth Trust, Dr. Smita Jadhav, Trustee, Dr. Yashraj Patil, Trustee, and Treasurer, DPU continues to rise and shine.
