Gheethivf: Improved article clarity and structure

2026-03-24T10:15:10Z

Improved article clarity and structure

WikiDwarfBOT: robot: add new article

2023-07-22T11:13:41Z

robot: add new article

New page

{{short description|American hematologist-oncologist}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2018}}{{Use American English|date=July 2018}}

{{Infobox scientist
| name = Vinay Prasad
| image =
| birth_name = Vinayak K. Prasad
| fields = Hematology, oncology
| workplaces = [[University of California, San Francisco]]
| alma_mater = [[Michigan State University]]<br />[[University of Chicago]]<br />[[Johns Hopkins University]]
| website = {{URL|vinayakkprasad.com}}
}}

'''Vinayak K. Prasad''' is an American [[Hematology|hematologist]]-[[Oncology|oncologist]] and health researcher. He is a professor of [[Epidemiology]] and [[Biostatistics]] at the [[University of California, San Francisco]] (UCSF).<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Vinayak Prasad, MD, MPH|url=https://profiles.ucsf.edu/vinayak.prasad|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=17 January 2021|website=University of California San Francisco}}</ref> He is the author of the books ''[[Ending Medical Reversal]]'' (2015) and [[Malignant (book)|''Malignant'']] (2020).

== Early life and education ==

Prasad was raised in a suburb of [[Cleveland, Ohio]], before moving outside of Chicago in northern Indiana. His parents immigrated from India.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2017/09/dr_vinay_prasad_ohsus_iconocla.html|title=Dr. Vinay Prasad, OHSU's iconoclastic oncologist, calls out shoddy medicine|last=Terry|first=Lynne|date=2017-09-07|work=Oregon Live|access-date=2018-07-11|publisher=The Oregonian|language=en-US}}</ref> He attended [[Michigan State University]], where he took courses in health care ethics and physiology. In 2005, Prasad graduated summa cum laude from MSU with a double major in philosophy and physiology.<ref name=":2" /> He gave the commencement speech to the College of Arts and Letters on behalf of the Philosophy Department.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=Spring 2005|title=Commencement|url=https://projects.kora.matrix.msu.edu/files/162-565-1296/S201_2005S.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=17 January 2021|website=MSU}}</ref> He completed his medical degree at [[University of Chicago]] in 2009 and completed a residency in internal medicine at [[Northwestern University]] in 2012. Prasad was certified in internal medicine by the [[American Board of Internal Medicine]] in 2012 and earned a Master's of Public Health from [[Johns Hopkins University]] in 2014. In 2015, Prasad completed a fellowship in oncology at the [[National Cancer Institute]] and hematology at the [[National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute]].

== Career ==

From 2015 to 2020, Prasad was assistant and then associate professor at the [[Oregon Health & Science University]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Vinay Prasad, MD, MPH {{!}} OHSU People|url=https://www.ohsu.edu/people/vinay-prasad/578606FAB6994775B638385C65DCBD5B|access-date=2018-07-11|website=Oregon Health & Science University|language=en}}</ref> He currently works at [[San Francisco General Hospital]]. Prasad is currently a full professor of a hematology-oncology at UCSF.<ref name=":0" /> He is a cancer drug and health policy researcher. He also studies the financial conflicts in drug approvals.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Piller |first1=Charles |title=Hidden conflicts? |journal=Science |date=6 July 2018 |volume=361 |issue=6397 |pages=16–20 |doi=10.1126/science.361.6397.16 |pmid=29976808 |bibcode=2018Sci...361...16P |s2cid=206625989 }}</ref> In 2015, Prasad published the book, ''[[Ending Medical Reversal]]'', with physician and academic [[Adam Cifu]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Zuger|first=Abigail|date=2015-10-30|title=Book Review: 'Ending Medical Reversal' Laments Flip-Flopping|language=en|work=NYT|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/science/book-review-ending-medical-reversal-laments-flip-flopping.html|access-date=2019-12-04}}</ref>

Prasad hosts the podcast ''Plenary Session''<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Plenary Session|url=https://soundcloud.com/plenarysession|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=17 January 2021|website=SoundCloud}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/06/24/621068147/tweeting-oncologist-draws-ire-and-admiration-for-calling-out-hype|title=Tweeting Oncologist Draws Ire And Admiration For Calling Out Hype|last=Harris|first=Richard|date=2018-06-24|work=NPR|access-date=2018-07-11|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2017/04/05/ohsus-vinay-prasad-on-being-the-medical-fields.html|title=OHSU's Vinay Prasad on being the medical field's willing provocateur|last=Hayes|first=Elizabeth|date=2017-04-05|website=Portland Business Journal|access-date=2018-07-11|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and blogs at [[MedPage Today]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Articles You Will Definitely Read|url=https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/vinay-prasad|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=17 January 2021|website=Medpage Today}}</ref> Prasad has won several teaching awards, including the 2017 Craig Okada Award for best teacher in the Hematology Oncology Fellowship program, the 2018 faculty mentorship award from the internal medicine residency, the 2019 J. David Bristow award from the graduating medical students, and the 2020 excellence in research and scholarship mentoring as awarded by the internal medicine residents.<ref name="VP">{{Cite web|last=Prasad|first=Vinay|date=|title=Vinay Prasad|url=http://www.vinayakkprasad.com/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=17 January 2021|website=Vinay Prasad}}</ref>

In the spring of 2020, Prasad published the book, ''[[Malignant (book)|Malignant: How Bad Policy and Bad Evidence Harm People with Cancer]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Malignant | Johns Hopkins University Press Books|url=https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/malignant}}</ref>

=== Views and reception ===

In 2011, Prasad and colleagues published a research letter in the ''Archives of Internal Medicine.''<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Prasad |first1=Vinay |title=The Frequency of Medical Reversal |journal=Archives of Internal Medicine |date=10 October 2011 |volume=171 |issue=18 |pages=1675–1676 |doi=10.1001/archinternmed.2011.295 |pmid=21747003 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Charles Bankhead, a senior editor at ''MedPageToday,'' covered the topic, outlining the paper's primary point, which was the high prevalence of research articles demonstrating findings that deviated from the accepted standard of treatment at the time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/ClinicalTrials/27494|title = New Studies Often Reverse Existing Practices|date = July 11, 2011}}</ref> Separately, "Retraction Watch" reported on Prasad's personal remarks about the paper, saying "For a long time, we were interested by what we believe to be a pervasive problem in modern medicine. Namely, the spread of new technologies and therapies without clear [[Scientific evidence|evidence]] that they work, which are later (and often after considerable delay) followed by contradictions, which, in turn, after yet another delay, is followed by changes in practice and reimbursement."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://retractionwatch.com/2011/07/11/so-how-often-does-medical-consensus-turn-out-to-be-wrong/|title=So how often does medical consensus turn out to be wrong?|first=Ivan|last=Oransky|date=July 11, 2011}}</ref>

Matthew Hoffman, writing in 2012 for ''MedPageToday's KevinMD'' covered a paper by Prasad and colleagues on "When to abandon ship" when it comes to failing medical practices and treatments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/03/bias-error-rampant-medical-literature.html|title = Bias and error are rampant in medical literature|date = March 18, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Prasad |first1=Vinay |last2=Cifu |first2=Adam |last3=Ioannidis |first3=John P. A. |title=Reversals of Established Medical Practices: Evidence to Abandon Ship |journal=JAMA |date=4 January 2012 |volume=307 |issue=1 |pages=37–38 |doi=10.1001/jama.2011.1960 |pmid=22215160 }}</ref> Hoffman builds on the authors' proposed barriers to market entrance, such as evidence of [[effectiveness]] in large [[Randomized controlled trial|randomized controlled studies]] before broad usage, and links them to the insidious aspects of healthcare, such as profit and status. In 2013, Prasad and colleagues addressed the necessity for randomized controlled trials for the [[inferior vena cava filter]] (VCF) despite the intervention's bio-plausibility.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Prasad |first1=Vinay |last2=Rho |first2=Jason |last3=Cifu |first3=Adam |title=The Inferior Vena Cava Filter: How Could a Medical Device Be So Well Accepted Without Any Evidence of Efficacy? |journal=JAMA Internal Medicine |date=8 April 2013 |volume=173 |issue=7 |pages=493–495 |doi=10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.2725 |pmid=23552611 }}</ref> The authors suggest that since the intervention has known adverse effects but an uncertain benefit, well-designed studies are necessary to shed light on the intervention's efficacy. The ''JAMA Internal Medicine'' article received widespread media attention, with ''Reuters''{{'}} Genevra Pittman interviewing Prasad about his further views on the intervention.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-filters-clots/filters-often-used-to-stop-clots-without-evidence-idUKBRE92I15S20130319|title=Filters often used to stop clots without evidence|newspaper=Reuters|date=March 19, 2013|last1=Pittman|first1=Genevra}}</ref> According to the interview, Prasad advises against filter placement in all but the most extreme instances owing to a lack of proof and possibility for adverse events.<ref name="auto" />

In 2013, Prasad's paper ''A Decade of Reversal: An Analysis of 146 Contradicted Practices'' was published;<ref name="Prasad et al 2013">{{cite journal |last1=Prasad |first1=Vinay |last2=Vandross |first2=Andrae |last3=Toomey |first3=Caitlin |last4=Cheung |first4=Michael |last5=Rho |first5=Jason |last6=Quinn |first6=Steven |last7=Chacko |first7=Satish Jacob |last8=Borkar |first8=Durga |last9=Gall |first9=Victor |last10=Selvaraj |first10=Senthil |last11=Ho |first11=Nancy |last12=Cifu |first12=Adam |title=A Decade of Reversal: An Analysis of 146 Contradicted Medical Practices |journal=Mayo Clinic Proceedings |date=August 2013 |volume=88 |issue=8 |pages=790–798 |doi=10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.05.012 |pmid=23871230 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The article was covered in a piece by ''The Huffington Post,'' which highlights a key lesson from the paper: patients should become more involved in their health care decisions rather than assuming a prescribed medication or device is beneficial.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/modern-medicine_b_4682616|title = Changes in Modern Medicine: What Can We Expect?|date = January 30, 2014}}</ref> Patients may do this by asking their physician pertinent questions, such as what patient outcomes the intervention improved. Additionally, the article discusses the concept of healthcare cost. With growing anxiety about the expense of healthcare, utilizing limited resources on questionable medical practices with a weak evidence base threatens to jeopardize both the healthcare economy and patient health. Additionally, the authors of a ''Lancet Oncology'' editorial remark that "almost 10% of practice reversals occurred in oncology," suggesting that certain fields of medicine may be more susceptible to medical reversals than others.<ref name=Burki2020>{{cite journal |last1=Burki |first1=Talha K |title=Shaping cancer policy to work towards the interests of patients |journal=The Lancet Haematology |date=May 2020 |volume=7 |issue=5 |pages=e369 |doi=10.1016/S2352-3026(20)30119-8 |pmid=32359451 |s2cid=218490117 }}</ref>

Prasad has criticized other medical skeptics for their choices of topics to tackle, including [[homeopathy]], as being poor use of their time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/vinay-prasad/90109 |title=Applying Skepticism to Medical Skepticism — Debunking should focus on areas most in need -- which might not be homeopathy |last=Prasad |first=Vinay |date=December 9, 2020 |website=Medpage Today |publisher=Medpage Today |access-date=July 27, 2022}}</ref> Skeptics [[David Gorski]] and [[Steven Novella]] published criticisms of and counter-arguments to Prasad's stance, pointing out the perils of not challenging alternative medicine during a pandemic.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gorski |first1=David |title=Responding to Dr. Vinay Prasad's "dunking on a 7′ hoop" criticism of SBM |url=https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/responding-to-dr-vinay-prasads-dunking-on-a-7-hoop-criticism-of-sbm/ |website=Science Based Medicine |access-date=27 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331072312/https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/responding-to-dr-vinay-prasads-dunking-on-a-7-hoop-criticism-of-sbm/ |archive-date=31 March 2021 |date=13 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Novella |first1=Steven |title=Skeptical of Skepticism regarding Medical Skepticism |url=https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/skeptical-of-skepticism-regarding-medical-skepticism/ |website=Neurologica Blog |publisher=The New England Skeptical Society |access-date=27 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219120123/https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/skeptical-of-skepticism-regarding-medical-skepticism/ |archive-date=19 February 2021 |date=11 December 2020}}</ref>

===Covid response===
In October 2021, Prasad prompted social media controversy when he published a blog post comparing the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|U.S. COVID-19 pandemic response]] to the beginnings of [[Adolf Hitler]]'s [[Third Reich]]. Bioethicist [[Arthur L. Caplan]] said that Prasad's arguments were specious and ignorant, and science historian [[Robert N. Proctor]] said that Prasad was "overplaying the dangers of vaccination mandates and trivializing the genuine harms to liberty posed by 1930s fascism".<ref>{{cite journal |title=Did Vinay Prasad need to mention the Nazis to make a point on the U.S. pandemic response? |date=8 October 2021 |volume=47 |issue=37 |vauthors=Tracey A |journal=The Cancer Letter |url=https://cancerletter.com/the-cancer-letter/20211008_4/ |type=News}}</ref>

In January 2022, the conservative periodical [[City Journal]] published an opinion piece by Prasad in which he attempted to demonstrate that the American public health organizations were not being honest in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. <ref>{{cite web|publisher=City Journal|date=2022-01-19|title=Public Health's Truth Problem|last=Prasad|first=Vinay|url=https://www.city-journal.org/public-healths-truth-problem}}</ref> Writing for [[Science-Based Medicine]], epidemiologist Lynn Shaffer criticized Prasad's article for the various "mistruths" it contained about face masks as a COVID-19 mitigation measure, for example the unevidenced claim that mask wearing was stunting children's language development. In Shaffer's view Prasad's writing "lean[s] heavily on pushing people's emotional hot buttons" and amounted to a form of fearmongering.<ref name=masks>{{cite web |publisher=[[Science-Based Medicine]] |date=27 February 2022 |title=Dr. Vinay Prasad: 'Public Health's (Mis)Truth Problem' |vauthors=Shaffer L |url=https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/vinay-prasad-public-healths-mistruth-problem/}}</ref>

Prasad was an early member of the Urgency of Normal, a group that in 2022 campaigned against quarantines and mask mandates in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Schreiber |first=Melody |date=2022-02-22 |title=Why Is This Group of Doctors So Intent on Unmasking Kids? |magazine=The New Republic |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/165413/mask-mandates-kids-back-to-normal |access-date=2022-03-21 |issn=0028-6583}}</ref> He spoke in support of repealing such mandates in a March 2022 interview.<ref name="How Politics Corrupted Science: Dr. Vinay Prasad on COVID – Reason – Zach Weissmueller">{{cite web |last1=Weissmueller |first1=Zach |title=How Politics Corrupted Science: Dr. Vinay Prasad on COVID |url=https://reason.com/video/2022/03/21/how-politics-corrupted-science-dr-vinay-prasad-on-covid/ |website=reason.com |publisher=Reason |access-date=8 April 2022}}</ref>
====Related Writings on Masking====
In response to public health authorities encouraging masking, and handing out masks, in response to pollution stemming from the [[2023 Canadian wildfires]], he described masking for protection against wildfire pollution as, "An untreated mental illness plaguing public health."<ref name="Forest fires and n95 masking">{{cite web |last1=Prasad |first1=Vinay |title=Forest fires and n95 masking |url=https://vinayprasadmdmph.substack.com/p/forest-fires-and-n95-masking |website=Substack |publisher=Vinay Prasad |access-date=13 June 2023}}</ref>

== Selected works ==

* {{Cite book|title=[[Ending Medical Reversal|Ending Medical Reversal: Improving Outcomes, Saving Lives]]|last1=Prasad|first1=Vinayak K.|last2=Cifu|first2=Adam S.|date=2015|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=9781421417721|language=en}}
*{{Cite book|last=Prasad|first=Vinayak K.|title=[[Malignant (book)|Malignant: How Bad Policy and Bad Evidence Harm People with Cancer]]|publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]]|year=2020|isbn=9781421437637|location=|pages=}}

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

*{{Official website}}
*{{Scopus}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prasad, Vinay}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Scientists from Cleveland]]
[[Category:Scientists from Indiana]]
[[Category:Scientists from Chicago]]
[[Category:Michigan State University alumni]]
[[Category:University of Chicago alumni]]
[[Category:Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health alumni]]
[[Category:Oregon Health & Science University faculty]]
[[Category:National Institutes of Health people]]
[[Category:Northwestern University alumni]]
[[Category:American people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:American skeptics]]
[[Category:American critics]]
[[Category:21st-century American scientists]]
[[Category:American hematologists]]
[[Category:American oncologists]]
[[Category:1982 births]]
[[Category:American physicians of Indian descent]]
[[Category:American health professionals of Indian descent]]
[[Category:American medical academics]]

Vinay Prasad - Revision history

Gheethivf: Improved article clarity and structure

WikiDwarfBOT: robot: add new article