Reshma Ramachandran, MD, MPP, MHS, not only believes in equitable access to healthcare and medical products but is a formidable force in advocating for it.
Reshma Ramachandran, MD, MPP, MHS
Assistant Professor of Medicine (General Medicine)Cards
About
Reshma Ramachandran is a primary care physician trained in family medicine and health services researcher. Her research focuses on developing evidence-driven strategies to ensure equitable access to meaningfully effective and safe health innovations in the United States and abroad.
Titles
Assistant Professor of Medicine (General Medicine)
Biography
Reshma Ramachandran, MD, MPP, MHS is an Assistant Professor, board-certified family physician, and health services researcher. Her research focuses on the realignment of incentives for healthcare stakeholders including pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and universities towards prioritizing equitable patient access to safe, effective health technologies. She co-directs the Yale Collaboration for Regulatory Rigor, Integrity, and Transparency, an interdisciplinary initiative aligning research on medical product evaluation, approval, and coverage to advance policies that improve patient health and healthcare. Prior to this role, Reshma worked as research faculty as part of the Innovation + Design Enabling Access (IDEA) Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she focused on policies to address the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance and unaffordable access to prescription drugs. Dr. Ramachandran was trained in both medicine at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University and in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She completed her family medicine residency at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center and a health services research and policy fellowship at the National Clinician Scholars Program at Yale. Previously, she served as the first PharmFree Fellow with the American Medical Student Association focused on removing the undue influence of pharmaceutical companies on prescribing behavior and medical education. She is on the board of directors for the non-profit organization, Doctors for America.
Last Updated on May 04, 2025.
Appointments
General Internal Medicine
Assistant ProfessorPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Collaboration for Regulatory Rigor, Integrity, and Transparency (CRRIT)
- General Internal Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Yale Medicine
Education & Training
- MHS
- Yale School of Medicine, National Clinician Scholars Program (2022)
- MPP
- Harvard Kennedy School, International Trade and Finance (2015)
- MD
- Alpert Medical School at Brown University (2015)
- ScB
- Brown University, Physics (2009)
Board Certifications
Family Medicine
- Certification Organization
- AB of Family Medicine
- Original Certification Date
- 2020
Research
Publications
2025
Therapeutic benefit of the most expensive drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid
Jiang T, Ramachandran R, Vokinger K, Ross J. Therapeutic benefit of the most expensive drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Journal Of Pharmaceutical Policy And Practice 2025, 18: 2564405. PMID: 41050428, PMCID: PMC12490368, DOI: 10.1080/20523211.2025.2564405.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCross-sectional studyHealth technology assessment agenciesAffordable Care ActTherapeutic benefitHealthcare affordabilityClinical benefitMedicare Part DClinical valueLevel of clinical benefitCare ActUnited StatesPrice negotiationsMedicareMedicaidFood and Drug AdministrationPart DExclusion criteriaInflation Reduction ActAssessment agenciesEffective rateBenefits of drugsDrug price negotiationTherapeutic benefit of drugsDrug AdministrationPrescrireFlexibility Over Rigor: Stakeholder Acceptance of the Limitations of Confirmatory Studies Following Accelerated Approval
Lynch H, Lee S, Herder M, Ross J, Ramachandran R. Flexibility Over Rigor: Stakeholder Acceptance of the Limitations of Confirmatory Studies Following Accelerated Approval. Health Affairs Scholar 2025, qxaf183. DOI: 10.1093/haschl/qxaf183.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchIndustry payments to US neurologists related to multiple sclerosis drugs and prescribing (2015–2019): a retrospective cohort study
Sayed A, Gupta R, Ramachandran R, Rivero-de-Aguilar A, Ross J. Industry payments to US neurologists related to multiple sclerosis drugs and prescribing (2015–2019): a retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open 2025, 15: e095952. PMID: 40858330, PMCID: PMC12406943, DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-095952.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPrescription volumePayment recipientsLikelihood of prescribingAssociated with prescribingIndustry paymentsAssociated with greater likelihoodCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services Open Payments databaseHigh-volume prescribersGeneralised linear mixed modelsCompany's drugMS drugsRetrospective cohort studyMedicare beneficiariesLinear mixed modelsCohort studyMedicaid Services Open Payments databaseGreater likelihoodPrescribingAnnual prescriptionsMultiple sclerosisPrimary outcomeConsultation serviceReceipt of paymentsLarger paymentsMedicare Part D databaseIndustry promotion of oncology drugs with accelerated approval that failed confirmatory trials
Mooghali M, Ramachandran R, Mohammad A, Mitchell A. Industry promotion of oncology drugs with accelerated approval that failed confirmatory trials. Journal Of The National Cancer Institute 2025, djaf241. PMID: 40855611, DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djaf241.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchReforming the Prescription Drug User Fee Program
Ziaks T, Schwartz J, Ross J, Ramachandran R. Reforming the Prescription Drug User Fee Program. New England Journal Of Medicine 2025, 393: 734-736. PMID: 40834320, DOI: 10.1056/nejmp2507648.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchFDA Authorization of Therapeutic Devices Under the Breakthrough Devices Program
Kadakia K, Dhruva S, Ross J, Burke J, Johnston J, Ramachandran R, Krumholz H, Rathi V. FDA Authorization of Therapeutic Devices Under the Breakthrough Devices Program. JAMA Internal Medicine 2025, 185: 996-1004. PMID: 40587167, PMCID: PMC12210143, DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.2235.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFood and Drug AdministrationFDA review timesFood and Drug Administration authorityFood and Drug Administration dataShort follow-up durationUS Food and Drug AdministrationFollow-up durationDevice programmingEffectiveness end pointCross-sectional studyHigh-risk devicesSurrogate measureTarget timeframePostmarketing studiesMain OutcomesEnd pointsPatient accessDrug AdministrationHigh riskClass IStudy characteristicsTherapeutic devicesClinical testingSurrogate measures of effectivenessMeasures of effectivenessExclusion of Older Adults from Obesity Treatment Pivotal Trials of GLP-1RAs and GIP/GLP-1RAs
Chen A, Liang Y, Lipska K, Ross J, Ramachandran R. Exclusion of Older Adults from Obesity Treatment Pivotal Trials of GLP-1RAs and GIP/GLP-1RAs. Journal Of General Internal Medicine 2025, 1-3. PMID: 40728804, DOI: 10.1007/s11606-025-09769-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchRegulatory change could improve biosimilar access in the US
Jiang T, Ramachandran R, Skydel J. Regulatory change could improve biosimilar access in the US. The BMJ 2025, 390: e084860. PMID: 40730379, DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2025-084860.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchRepresentation of Women, Older Adults, and Racial and Ethnic Minoritized Patients in Pivotal Trials for US Food and Drug Administration Novel Oncology Therapeutic Approvals, 2012-2021: Bright Spot Trials and Trends Over Time.
Miller J, Pelletiers W, Gross C, Mello M, Ramachandran R, Schwartz J, Suttiratana S, Varma T, Ross J. Representation of Women, Older Adults, and Racial and Ethnic Minoritized Patients in Pivotal Trials for US Food and Drug Administration Novel Oncology Therapeutic Approvals, 2012-2021: Bright Spot Trials and Trends Over Time. JCO Oncology Practice 2025, op2400563. PMID: 40493876, PMCID: PMC12360498, DOI: 10.1200/op-24-00563.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchFood and Drug AdministrationOncology therapeuticsLatino patientsBlack patientsTherapeutic approvalsOlder adultsRetrospective cross-sectional studyUS Food and Drug AdministrationTrial characteristicsMinoritized patientsUS patient populationSpot trialsPivotal trialsPatient demographicsPatient populationRepresentative patientsTrial enrollmentUS Census dataDrug AdministrationPatientsStudy of trialsTrialsOncologyWomenClinical trial diversityPublic Health Implications of Legal Challenges to the FDA’s Regulation of Laboratory-Developed Tests
Kadakia K, Ross J, Ramachandran R. Public Health Implications of Legal Challenges to the FDA’s Regulation of Laboratory-Developed Tests. JAMA Health Forum 2025, 6: e252233. PMID: 40540283, DOI: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2025.2233.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLaboratory-developed testsFood and Drug AdministrationPublic health implicationsEastern District of TexasSupreme Court's recent decisionAssociation of Molecular PathologyCourt's recent decisionUS District CourtClinical evidence of safetyRegulate laboratory-developed testsFood and Drug Administration regulationsUS Food and Drug AdministrationPublic health concernPublic health emergencyMedical Devices AuthorityChevron doctrineDistrict CourtAgency interpretationsClinical careHealth technologiesImplementing statutesComplex molecular testsLegal challengesAmendment ActRegulatory remit
Clinical Care
Board Certifications
Family Medicine
- Certification Organization
- AB of Family Medicine
- Original Certification Date
- 2020
News
News
- September 05, 2025Source: Medical Marketing & Media Online
Experts throw cold water on the idea that DTC platforms will meaningfully lower drug prices
- July 08, 2025Source: The New York Times Magazine
Inside the Collapse of the F.D.A.
- May 13, 2025Source: Lown Institute
Reshma Ramachandran, Winner of the 2025 Bernard Lown Award
- April 29, 2025Source: STAT News
The End of Compounded GLP-1 Copies Leaves Many Patients in a ‘Lose-Lose’ Position
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Contacts
Locations
E.S. Harkness Memorial Hall, Building A
Academic Office
367 Cedar Street, Rm 406A
New Haven, CT 06510