Professor D. Prabhakaran is a cardiologist and epidemiologist by training. He is an internationally renowned researcher and is currently the Vice President- Research & Policy, Public Health Foundation of India, Executive Director of Centre for Chronic Disease Control, New Delhi, India and Professor (Epidemiology) London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. He heads the Centre for Control of Chronic Conditions at PHFI which is a joint initiative of four leading institutions (Public Health Foundation of India, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and Emory University). This centre conducts cutting edge research in the prevention of chronic diseases in India and the developing world.His work spans from mechanistic research to understand the causes for increased propensity of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among Indians, to developing solutions for CVD through translational research and human resource development. Prof. Prabhakaran is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, UK, Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, and an Adjunct Professor at the Emory University. He is member of Executive Council of the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) and Chair of the International Society of CVD Epidemiology and Prevention (ISCEP). He has received funding from NHLBI, Wellcome Trust, European Commission and several other international and national funding bodies. He has mentored over 40 post-doctoral and doctoral students so far. He has authored several chapters and over 375 scholarly papers with an H index of 63. He is the lead editor of the Cardiovascular Respiratory and Renal Disease Volume of the latest Disease Control Priorities Project.

Current Positions

  • Vice President ( Research and Policy) and Director, Centre for Ccontrol of Chronic Conditions, Public Health Foundation of India
  • Executive Director, Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC) and Head, WHO Collaborating Centre for Surveillance, Capacity Building and Translational Research in Cardio-metabolic Diseases for the South East Asia Region (WHOCC No. IND-124)
  • Director of the Centre of excellence in Clinical Research at Centre for Chronic Disease Control, recognised by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India
  • Professor, Epidemiology, Public Health Foundation of India
  • Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Associate Director, NCD Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
  • Adjunct Professor, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, U.S.A
  • Editor, Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases Volume, Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries (DCP3).

Other Positions

  • Director and Principal Investigator, NHLBI (USA) CARRS (Center for cArdiometabolic Risk Reduction In South Asia) Centre of Excellence, PHFI, New Delhi ( 2009-2014)
  • International Program Director , Fogarty International Centre at the PHFI, New Delhi ( 2009-2014); http://www.fogartyscholars.org
  • Former Additional Professor, Department of Cardiology, CT Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi till October 2007
  • Visiting Scholar Mike Rosenbloom Laboratory for Cardiovascular Research, Department of Cardiology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
  • Member, Editorial Board, Clinical science
  • Consultant/Technical Advisor to WHO (2005-2009): Prevention and Control of Cardiovascular/ Non-Communicable Diseases
  • Technical Expert and Member, Scientific Advisory Committee on Non-Communicable Diseases, Indian Council of Medical Research (2004-till date)
  • Co-Chair Scientific Advisory Committee on Non-Communicable Diseases, Indian Council of Medical Research (2004-till date)
  • Technical advisor to the Ministry of Health, Government of India on developing the national cardiovascular disease and diabetic control programme (till 2007).
  • Special Invitee to the Steering committee of the National Cardiovascular and diabetes Prevention Programme, of the Ministry of Health, Government of India (2008)
  • Member, Capacity building subcommittee of the Steering committee of the National Cardiovascular and diabetes Prevention Programme, of the Ministry of Health, Government of India (2008)
  • Member, Scientific Advisory Committee, Health Impact Fund
  • Co-Chair, Scientific Committee of the World Congress of Cardiology, Melbourne, 2014
  • Reviewer for National Medical Journal of India, Hypertension, International Journal of Cardiology, Open Medicine, Atherosclerosis, Circulation, PLoS Medicine, Lancet etc.
  • Regional Policy Note Consultant for the World Bank in developing policy options for non-communicable diseases in Nepal and India.
  • Consultant, World Bank for developing NCD component for the Karnataka Health System Development and Reforms Project
  • Population Health Research Institute International Fellow, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
  • Associate Editor, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (JECH) 2008-2011
  • Ex Officio Member, Executive Council, International Society of Hypertension (ISH)
  • Member, Executive Council, World Hypertension League
  • Vice Chair, Executive Council of the International Society of Cardiovascular Epidemiology and Prevention ( ISCEP)
  • Member, Scientific Committee, World Heart Federation
  • Member Research Committee, Cardiology Society of India.
  • Chairperson, Expert group on Salt, Sugar & Fat in Food Products in India constituted by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (Standards Division) to develop guidelines for these foods

Academic Qualifications

  • MBBS, from Bangalore Medical College in 1985 with an overall percentage of 66% (first division) and was awarded distinction in Pharmacology.
  • MMD (Medicine), All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, 1990
  • MDM (Cardiology), All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, 1993
  • MMSc (Health Research Methodology), McMaster University, 2006

Trainings/ Examinations

  • Passed the USMLE examination held in September 93, with scores of 84 & 87 in part I & part II respectively
  • Fellow of the 28th day International Teaching Seminar on Cardiovascular Epidemiology & Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, under the ISFC, held at Munich from 20.8.95 to 1.9.95.
  • Research fellowship at McMaster university from July 2002 to July 2004
  • Attended the summer epidemiology course at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore USA, to train in genetic epidemiology.

Awards (Personal)

  • Listed as the topmost researcher in Medicine in India terms of publications for the years 2009-2014 by Scopus and Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.
  • 2nd Runner up award in Poster Presentation for Capacity Building In Health Care at FICCI Heal 2015 (FICCI is a large Indian Chamber of Commerce and this is a leadership award)
  • Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, India, 2011
  • Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) , London, UK, 2011
  • KK Datey Oration Award at the 61st Annual Cardiological Society of India meet at Kochi 2009
  • 4th MDRF-UAB Oration Award bestowed by the Scientific Committee of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, Chennai for the outstanding scientist and researcher of 2009
  • WCCPGC-2008 ?Distinguished Service Award? bestowed upon by Bharat Ratna His Excellency Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (Former President of India) and Prof. Navin C. Nanda. USA
  • Dr. P.S. Rao Gold Medal oration bestowed by the Andhra Pradesh Cardiological Society of India APCSI ? 2007 held in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh

Awards (Group)

  • PHD Chambers award for Excellence In Skill Development 2015
  • FICCI Health Care Excellence award 2015 in skill development category during FICCI Heal 2015.
  • ASSOCHAM commendation certificate and award under category of skill development as BEST NGO in Skill development 2015-16
  • Diabetes Excellence award for community service 2016 by Apolllo Sugar Clinics
  • Finalist in the BMJ India award for Excellence in Medical education 2014

Special Interests

  • Cardiovascular Epidemiology

Special Assignment

  • Cardiologist to Prime Minister of India from Oct.1994 till May 1996.
  • Personal Physician to Prime Minister of India during the periods 17-12-96 to 21-5-1997. This entailed both clinical and administrative duties.
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