Dr. Prakash Babu Kodali serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at the Central University of Kerala (CUK), Kasaragod. His research is primarily centered on the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCD), fortifying health systems, and promoting health. He has a keen interest in several specific areas, including tobacco control, healthcare financing, hypertension prevention and control, and digital health. 

Dr. Kodali is a recipient of 2024-2025 Fulbright-Nehru postdoctoral fellowship and currently a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, USA. He completed his Master of Public Health (MPH) from University of Hyderabad, and MPhil and PhD from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. During 2015-16, he was a recipient of the Junior Research Fellowship in Social Medicine and Community Health, awarded by the University Grants Commission. 

Over the years his work focused on understanding NCD risk factor epidemiology and their prevention with a special focus on tobacco control.  Dr. Kodali’s research portfolio includes the study of tobacco usage patterns in India, international comparisons of tobacco cessation behaviors, the impact of tobacco-control laws, and the efficacy of anti-tobacco health education strategies. In the domain of health economics and healthcare financing, his work encompasses the assessment of publicly funded health insurance programs, providing valuable insights into their efficacy and impact. He is adept at conducting cost-analysis studies, a critical aspect of healthcare financing. Furthermore, his research extends to investigating out-of-pocket expenditures, shedding light on the direct financial burden borne by individuals.