Gangtok, Mar 25: Dr. Bhawana Thapa has successfully defended her PhD thesis in Physiology at Sikkim Manipal University (SMU) on March 24, 2025. Her research, titled “Prevalence of Depression and its Association with Heart Rate Variability and Pulmonary Function among the School-Going Adolescents of Sikkim – A Cross-Sectional Study,” explores the relationship between adolescent mental health and physiological functions.

Her study was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Professor & Head, Department of Physiology, SMIMS, with co-supervision from Prof. (Dr.) Samrat Singh Bhandari of the Department of Psychiatry, Central Referral Hospital (CRH), and Prof. (Dr.) Nasrin Banu Laskar of the Department of Community Medicine, SMIMS. The thesis defense was evaluated by an expert panel, including external examiner Dr. (Prof.) Reeta Baishya, Head of Physiology at Guwahati Medical College.

Dr. Thapa pursued her MBBS at the West Bengal University of Health Sciences and completed her MSc in Medical Physiology at SMIMS, SMU. She currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology at SMIMS and as the Admission Officer at SMU. She is actively involved in medical education and has multiple publications in national and international journals.

Expressing gratitude, Dr. Thapa thanked her mentors, university officials, colleagues, and family for their support. She will be formally conferred with her doctorate at the upcoming SMU convocation.