Kameshwar Prasad

Dr Kameshwar Prasad served as a neurology faculty in AIIMS, New Delhi for 34 years. He was the first from India to publish a Cochrane review (1999) from India. His continued work in the field of meta-analysis has led to publications of more than 30 systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Several of these had impact on the management of stroke, bacterial meningitis, tubercular meningitis, status epilepticus and multiple sclerosis to make care affordable. One such meta-analysis comparing tenecteplase and alteplase for intravenous thrombolysis in ischaemic stroke led to change in recommendations of two globally the most popular electronic sources of evidence-based information, that is UpToDate and Dynamed. He has been a pioneer and champion for evidence-based clinical practice in India and abroad, has taught evidence-based practice in India and the world including Oxford, Canada, Singapore, and Gulf countries.

Dr Prasad conducted the first-ever randomized controlled trial of bone marrow mononuclear cell therapy for subacute ischaemic stroke and published the first GWAS study of stroke from India, and contributed Indian genotyping data to an International GIGASTROKE consortium. Dr Prasad established the first Indian cohort study (LoCARPoN) integrating genomics, neuroimaging, and medical data with neurocognitive assessment to determine novel and India-specific factors causing stroke and dementia. He has published more than 400 papers with > 18000 citations and the authored a book entitled, “Fundamentals of Evidence-Based Medicine” and edited “Bickerstaff’s Neurological Examination in Clinical Practice (7th edn.2013)” He is a fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences and Indian Academy of Neurology.

He served the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as an expert for stroke since 1996, culminating in the first National guidelines for the prevention and management of stroke. His international experience includes working in the World Bank, WHO where he is a member of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Board of MNS reporting directly to the Director General. He also served the World Stroke Organization as a member of its Global Quality and Guidelines Group. He is editor of the Cochrane Stroke group and member of the International advisory editorial board of BMJ. He is recipient of many awards including Padmashri from the President of India.