Bahl Family
Professor Om P. Bahl, Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences, taught at the University at Buffalo from 1966 till his untimely death in 2004. Dr. Bahl led the Department to new levels of distinction. He was best known for his groundbreaking research on glycoprotein structure and function, which played a key role in providing the biochemical framework for the development of today’s home pregnancy test. And Dr. Bahl’s later research led to earlier detection of difficult-to-diagnose cancers to aid prognosis for better patient survival.
Not only was Dr. Bahl a distinguished researcher at the University at Buffalo, he was an exceptional educator and mentor. Born in Lyallpur, India in 1927, Dr. Bahl’s research was informed and shaped by his awareness of the social context of his work. He served on a variety of editorial boards for scientific journals, worked as an advisor to the Population Council, the World Health Organization, and the Population Research Committee of the National Institutes of Health. Among the many awards that he received over his illustrious career, was the Padma Bhushan – the highest civilian award conferred by the government of India and presented to Dr. Bahl in 1971 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The family of the late Professor Om P. Bahl have given a founding gift to the College of Arts and Sciences to establish an endowed professorship in the Department of Biological Sciences.
