Professor Raman Gangakhedkar

Raman Gangakhedkar is a distinguished paediatrician, epidemiologist and expert on communicable diseases currently working as a Professor at the National Institute of Virology in Pune, India. He previously served as Head Scientist of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research before retiring in 2020. He is a recipient of the 2020 Padma Shri award, the fourth highest civilian award in India. Raman Gangakhedkar worked in several fields after completing his postgraduate medical education.

He worked at the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad and the National Institute of Immunohaematology in Mumbai. In the early 1980s, he began researching HIV and AIDS at a time when the knowledge of the disease was developing. He worked with the National Institute of Virology and National AIDS Research Institute in Pune. He continued to work in the public sector in HIV and AIDS and was active in developing national policies and patient empowerment.

Along with research, he worked with patients at the government-run Kotnis Clinic in Gadikhana, Pune, serving disadvantaged people living with HIV. After nearly two decades, he became Director-in-charge of the National AIDS Research Institute. In 2018, he was appointed Head of the Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Wing of the Indian Council of Medical Research. In his two-year stint, he was active in handling the Nipah virus outbreak and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. He was awarded the Padma Shri – the fourth highest civilian award in India – for his service and research in HIV and AIDS. He also serves as a member of the WHO HIVResNet Steering Group.