DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS AWARDEE | 2026
Dr. Y.S. Prakash is Professor of Anesthesiology and Physiology in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, and Chair of the Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
After earning his B.Tech. from IIT Bombay, Dr. Prakash pursued an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. in Physiology from the Mayo Clinic. He subsequently completed medical school at the University of Minnesota and an anesthesiology residency at Mayo Clinic, where he has served on the faculty for more than 25 years.
Since his IIT Bombay days, Dr. Prakash aspired to live in the worlds of engineering and medicine. This vision shaped his journey from electrical engineering to biomedical engineering and physiology in the United States, where his research grew increasingly translational through exposure to respiratory and pulmonary diseases. Motivated by this work, he took the unusual step of attending medical school while concurrently running an extramurally funded research laboratory. Since completing his anesthesiology residency, he has successfully balanced clinical practice, research, professional service, and leadership for over two decades. Supported by the US National Institutes of Health, his research has focused on lung diseases, particularly asthma across the lifespan — from infants to older adults. He is deeply committed to training and mentorship, and to fostering a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment for the future of healthcare and biomedical research.
Through his longstanding research, Dr. Prakash and his team have made important discoveries on the pathogenesis of lung diseases at the extremes of age. Their work has highlighted how premature birth and exposure to oxygen or ventilation can contribute to wheezing and asthma in infants, spurring further research into mechanobiology and cellular senescence as promising therapeutic targets. In adult and geriatric asthma, he has examined the roles of environmental exposures, inflammation, and emerging drug targets. In recognition of his contributions, he was named a Mayo Clinician Investigator.
As Chair of the Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, and in prior roles as Associate Dean and Vice Dean for Research at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Prakash has led initiatives aimed at translating biomedical discoveries into patient care. His leadership has brought together multidisciplinary teams while advancing training programmes and the strategic recruitment of world-class talent in science and engineering. Beyond the institution, he has held leadership roles in several professional societies and boards spanning anesthesiology, physiology, and pulmonary medicine.
He is an inductee of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and Academy of Research Mentors of the Foundation of Anesthesia Education and Research. He has served on the Boards of the International Anesthesia Research Society and the Foundation of Anesthesia Education and Research, and was Editor-in-Chief of Comprehensive Physiology from 2019 to 2024.
Interests & Hobbies: I enjoy international travel and photography with my spouse and colleague, Dr. Christina Pabelick. I am also an avid vegetable gardener and specialise in growing exotic and intensely spicy chili peppers.
A Personal Note: I am colourblind and was, in fact, on probation throughout my four years at IIT Bombay since I couldn’t read the resistor colour codes for my laboratory courses.
