Nikhil Bansal, OD ‘20, Joins Optometry Faculty

During his time at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), Nikhil Bansal, OD ‘20, was named “Happiest to Be Your Guinea Pig for Clinical Skills,” by his classmates.  

Not only was he willing to help out the other students, but he had significant astigmatism which provided great practice opportunities in clinical skills lab for his classmates.  

“There are opportunities to learn everywhere. I am a proponent that there’s the potential to learn something no matter what you’re doing, as long as you’re willing to pay attention and actually learn it,” said Dr. Bansal. 

He comes from a family of academics, so it was instilled in him at a young age that what he learned along the way should be passed on to the next generation. “I took that very seriously growing up,” said Dr. Bansal. “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher since I was young.” 

And, now he has that chance, and at his alma mater, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), Salus at Drexel University. Dr. Bansal officially joined the faculty on June 17, 2024. 

Born and raised in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dr. Bansal moved to Philadelphia when he was 18 years old and earned degrees in Biological Sciences and Physiology from Drexel University. During that time, he knew he wanted to do something medicine-related but was unsure of which path to choose. He liked physics and physiology, but was encouraged by his pharmacology professor to explore optometry. The combination of physics and medicine became the perfect opportunity. 

After graduating from PCO, Dr. Bansal was in practice for three years but found he wasn’t getting enough of what he wanted, which was to teach. His training is in surgical and post-operative care, and the knowledge and experience he’s gained in those areas is what he’d like to pass along to his students.  

“I’d like to bring a little bit of that into the students’ awareness. I don’t think it’s commonly taught right now, but I think it’s good to know a little bit about surgery,” he said. 

As an alum of both Salus and Drexel, Dr. Bansal is excited about the possibilities as the institutions begin Phase I of their merger, which started July 1, 2024, pending approval by the United States Department of Education, specialized accreditors, and additional third parties.  

“Not as many people know about optometry in general. I barely knew until teachers told me,” said Dr. Bansal. “So if you introduce the Salus programs and associate them with a really big-name school, it can diversify your applicant pool. That name Drexel by itself can bring so much opportunity.” 

He added that he believes Drexel sees the potential in the Salus programs.  

“Not only is Drexel getting a unique and world-class optometry school, as well as all the other programs, that just diversifies your portfolio as a University and makes Drexel more unique. That’s a huge factor for a University,” said Dr. Bansal. 

When he’s not in the classroom, Dr. Bansal enjoys playing volleyball, cycling, and as a motor sports fan, he is into simulation racing. And, he loves the Philadelphia sports teams, and is either attending events or watching them on TV. 

His short-term goal as a new faculty member is being involved as much as he can with teaching the students. 

“I would like to do elective teaching here and there. I’d like to do more personal teaching, we have this thing called CPS - Clinical Problem Solving, which is seven or eight students for one faculty member. I really like engaging students in that regard,” he said. “And I’d be open to lecturing.”