“विश्वकल्याण- शांतीदा। आरोग्यम् धनसम्पदा।”

Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar M.B.B.S., DCH, M.P.H (born 1958) is an Indian epidemiologist. He served as Head Scientist of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research before retiring on 30 June 2020.He is a recipient of the 2020 Padma Shri award, the fourth highest civilian award in India

​

Early life

He earned his Master's in Public Health (MPH) at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

​

Career

Gangakhedkar worked in several fields after completing his post graduate medical education. He worked in the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad and in the National Institute of Immunohaematology, Mumbai.

​

In the early 1980s, he began researching HIV/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, Pune. He continued to work in the public sector in HIV/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 HIV/AIDS patients.

​

After nearly two decades, he became Director-in-charge of the National AIDS Research Institute. In 2018 he was appointed Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Wing of the Indian Council of Medical Research.

​

In his two year stint with the ICMR, he was active in handling the Nipah virus outbreak and the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

He was awarded the Padma Shri - the fourth highest civilian award in India - for his service and research in HIV/AIDS. 

​

Recognition

1996 Fogarty Fellowship - National Institutes of Health the Johns Hopkins University Baltimore USA

FXB Fellowship - Francoise Xavier Bagnoud Foundation Switzerland.