Bhushan Patwardhan
Bhushan Patwardhan (born 1959) is a Professor of Health Sciences, biomedical scientist, and ethnopharmacologist. He serves as the chairman of the Interdisciplinary AYUSH R&D Task Force on COVID-19. Until March 4, 2021, Patwardhan served as the Vice Chairman of the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, and Chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research. Early life and education. Bhushan Patwardhan was born in 1959 to a middle-class family in Pune, Maharashtra, India. He attended Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya, and Fergusson College Pune where he studied chemistry. He received his Master of Science from Ahmednagar College and his  PhD in Biochemistry from Savitribai Phule Pune University and the Haffkine Institute of Mumbai. Patwardhan's research was on traditional medicine, Ayurveda, and natural products. After attending university, he worked in the pharmaceutical industry to develop herbal medicines based on Ayurvedic teaching. Academic career. Patwardhan is a Distinguished Professor of Health Sciences at Savitribai Phule Pune University. His main body of work has been in evidenced-based Ayurvedic teaching, ethnopharmacology, drug development, and the role of traditional medicines in public health. He has delivered guest lectures on the national and international scale, including at the United Nations, the World Health  Organization, and the Indian Pharmacological Society. Universities he has given guest lectures at include the University of California, the University of Illinois, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, MIT, and Harvard. Patwardhan has served as the Director of the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences at Savitribai Phule Pune University, and the vice-chair of the University Grants Commission. He has served on the boards of several Indian universities, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, and the Indian Council of Medical Research. Currently, he is Chairman Executive Committee, National Assessment and Accreditation  Council.