Ashok Vaidya's Biography

Ashok Vaidya, Research Director, MRC- Kasturba Health Society

Dr. Vaidya is from a lineage of Ayurveda and medicine; the heritage archives are a treasure trove for new leads from natural products. He evolved Reverse Pharmacology (RP) to explore this heritage. His medical and research education was at Mumbai and at Yale. With Prof UK Sheth, he pioneered the first Clinical Pharmacology Unit in India. At Yale, he conducted trials with brocresine, p-CPA and L-dopa. Later, at CIBA and KEM Hospital, he carried out Phase I, II and III trials on several new drug molecules. He conducted the largest post-marketing surveillance trials. He was the Regional Medical Director for CIBA-GEIGY. Reverse Pharmacology has led to new leads from plants for Parkinson’s disease, hepatitis, eczema, diabetes, cancer, arthritis,malaria etc. ICMR’s Advanced Centre of Reverse Pharmacology in Traditional Medicine was awarded to Kasturba Health Society. Dr. Vaidya has been honored with orations and awards. He was the President of the ISCPT and of AMAPI. He has been on the editorial boards of several journals. He has been a consultant and expert to W.H.O., CSIR, ICMR, DBT, AYUSH, and for the 11th and 12th five-year plans of India. Dr. Vaidya has travelled extensively, as he has been a much-sought out speaker. Dr. Vaidya has more than 290 research publications to his credit. He has guided graduate students in basic and clinical drug research and Ayurveda. Dr Vaidya is married to Dr Rama Vaidya, a reproductive endocrinologist. They have a daughter- Prof Vidita Vaidya, a neuroscientist.