Dorairaj Prabhakaran, MD, DM, MSc

Professor of Chronic Disease Epidemiology

Public Health Foundation of India

Executive Director

Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC)

Program Director, Public Health Leadership and Development Academy for NCDs

Public Health Foundation of India

Biography

Dr. Dorairaj Prabhakaran is professor of chronic disease epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India, and executive director of the Center for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC). Dr. Prabhakaran has participated in/led several major international and national research studies, and heads one of only 11 funded global centers of excellence funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the UnitedHealth Group, the Center of Excellence – Center for Cardio-metabolic Risk Reduction in South Asia (CoE-CARRS).

Dr. Prabhakaran’s research has produced major insights into the epidemiology, developmental origin, and biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in India, practice patterns on Acute Coronary Syndrome; translation research in CVDs, and development of low-cost combination drugs for primary and secondary prevention of CVDs in South Asia. Currently he is working to establish a model surveillance system for CVD, evaluating the role of community health workers and m-health programs to prevent and manage chronic diseases, undertaking two CVD cohorts, and involved in several clinical trials evaluating low cost strategies. He has on-going engagement with the New Delhi Birth Cohort and is involved in major capacity building projects both in India and internationally. In addition to his research and teaching, Dr. Prabhakaran has published widely, and advises the Government of India, World Health Organization, World Bank and several other professional bodies on chronic disease care policies and practice. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, UK, the National Academy of Sciences, India, holds an Honorary Professorship at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and is Adjunct Professor at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University.

Publications