NRI Dr. Vinayak “Vinay” Kashyap Prasad – Biography
NRI Dr. Vinayak “Vinay” Kashyap Prasad is an American hematologist-oncologist, health policy researcher, and academic who currently serves as Director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). He returned to the position in August 2025, having briefly held it from May to July the same year. As head of CBER, he oversees regulation of vaccines, gene therapies, and blood products.
Early Life and Education
Dr. Prasad was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and later in northern Indiana. His parents immigrated to the United States from India. He attended Michigan State University, graduating summa cum laude in 2005 with dual degrees in philosophy and physiology, and delivered the commencement address for the College of Arts and Letters.
He earned his MD from the University of Chicago in 2009, completed an internal medicine residency at Northwestern University in 2012, and was certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. In 2014, he obtained a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, followed by a joint fellowship in oncology at the National Cancer Institute and hematology at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in 2015.
Academic and Research Career
From 2015 to 2020, Dr. Prasad served as assistant and later associate professor at Oregon Health & Science University before joining the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) as professor of epidemiology, biostatistics, and hematology-oncology. He has published extensively on cancer drug policy, evidence-based medicine, and the problem of “medical reversals” — when clinical practices are later shown to be ineffective.
He is the author of Ending Medical Reversal (2015) and Malignant (2020) and hosts the medical podcast Plenary Session. His work has explored financial conflicts of interest in drug approvals and advocated for more rigorous clinical trial standards.
Role at the FDA
Dr. Prasad was appointed CBER Director on May 6, 2025, stepped down in late July citing personal reasons, and returned to the role in August 2025 at the agency’s request. His leadership comes during a pivotal period for vaccine oversight, with CBER setting policies on COVID-19 vaccine use, including limiting distribution to high-risk populations and requiring larger post-approval studies.
Awards and Recognition
He has received multiple teaching and mentorship awards, including the Craig Okada Award (2017), UCSF Faculty Mentorship Award (2018), J. David Bristow Award (2019), and Excellence in Research and Scholarship Mentoring Award (2020).
Public Engagement and Views
Known for his critical and sometimes controversial public health commentary, Dr. Prasad has written and spoken widely on medical ethics, pandemic policy, and regulatory science. His positions on COVID-19 measures, vaccine policy, and evidence standards have sparked both support and criticism within the medical community.
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