Dr. Urvashi Prasad is a distinguished public policy and public health professional with more than 15 years of experience spanning health, nutrition, gender, sanitation, sustainable development, and government policy. She is the Founding Director of PAVANA—Centre for Air Pollution and Environmental Health at Pahlé India Foundation, where she is leading an evidence-driven effort to place the health consequences of air pollution at the center of India’s environmental and public-health policy discourse. PAVANA’s work focuses on generating rigorous, independent, and actionable evidence on air pollution, understanding who bears the greatest health burden, identifying interventions that work, and translating research into policy action.

Prior to this, Dr. Prasad served as Director in the Office of the Vice Chairperson at NITI Aayog, India’s premier public policy institution, working closely with three successive Vice Chairpersons and contributing to national strategy across health, nutrition, sanitation, and sustainable development. She was also part of India’s COVID-19 response architecture, bringing together policy, public health, and evidence-based decision-making during a critical period. Pahlé India Foundation Her professional mission is deeply rooted in health equity and in bridging the gap between evidence and implementation, particularly on issues that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.

An alumna of the University of Birmingham, where she studied biological sciences with a specialization in genetics, Dr. Prasad subsequently earned an MPhil from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in public health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. University of Birmingham She is also the editor-in-chief of the Global South Healthcare Journal and has emerged as an active voice on environmental health, air pollution, cancer prevention, and equitable access to healthcare. Her work reflects a distinctive combination of scientific training, public-policy experience, and a strong commitment to converting research into meaningful improvements in population health. In 2026, the University of Birmingham conferred on her an Honorary Doctor of Science in recognition of her contributions across science, public policy, and public health.