Dr. Ramachandra G. Naik

Dr. Ramachandra G. Naik is a board-certified endocrinologist with more than three decades of global experience across patient care, clinical research, and biopharmaceutical drug development. He is currently a Clinical Professor of Medicine at NYU Langone Health and has previously held senior faculty and leadership positions at leading academic institutions across the United States. Earlier in his career, he led a nationally renowned, high-profile tertiary-care endocrinology practice for more than a decade in Mumbai, serving a geographically diverse referral population from across India, the Middle East, and East Africa. His clinical practice focuses on type 1 and type 2 diabetes, lipid disorders, obesity, osteoporosis, and thyroid disorders.

Academic Background

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes — All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition — University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA

Professional Appointments

Clinical Professor of Medicine, Holman Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism — NYU Grossman School of Medicine / NYU Langone Health, New York, NY
Attending Physician, Endocrinology — Henry J. Carter Specialty Hospital, NYC Health + Hospitals, New York, NY
Senior Medical Director, Global Development — Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY
Visiting Consultant Endocrinologist — Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, India

Board Certifications

Dr. Naik is board certified in:

Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Internal Medicine

Professional Memberships

Endocrine Society
American Diabetes Association
Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI)

Hospital Privileges

Clinical Professor of Medicine — NYU Langone Health
Attending Physician, Endocrinology — NYC Health + Hospitals

Get to Know Dr. Ramachandra G. Naik

Why Did You Become a Doctor?

I have grown seeing my father practicing medicine in India, and this certainly inspired me during my formative years. Later, prior to joining medicine, I realized that the field offered something rare: work that is intellectually demanding and, at the same time, immediately useful to another person.

What Made You Focus on Endocrinology?

Endocrinology appealed to me because it combines rigorous physiology, long-term patient relationships, and the opportunity to help patients make meaningful improvements in their health over time. Diabetes and cardiometabolic disease, in particular, sit at the intersection of biology, behavior, technology, and therapeutics, which has made the field both intellectually rich and deeply human throughout my career.

What Is Your Approach to Medicine?

My career has connected patient care, academic medicine, clinical investigation, and global drug development. Working across these worlds has reinforced the importance of evidence, careful listening, and individualized treatment. I believe the best endocrine care combines scientific rigor with a practical understanding of the patient’s goals, preferences, and life circumstances.

How Would You Define Patient Care?

My approach to patient care is evidence-based, thoughtful, and highly individualized. Endocrine care often involves long-term relationships, and I value the opportunity to help patients understand their conditions, make informed decisions, and improve their metabolic and overall health. I try to bring the discipline of clinical research and drug development back to the bedside, while never losing sight of the individual patient.

Do You Do Any Philanthropic Work?

Throughout my career, both in India and the United States, health-systems permitting, I have dedicated a portion of my practice to patients from underserved communities. During my faculty tenure at the University of Pennsylvania, I served for six years as a pro bono physician at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. I also served for four years on the American Diabetes Association's Research Grant Review Committee, helping to advance diabetes research.

Publications

Naik RG. Prevention of type 1 diabetes: the current status. Chapter 30. In: Das AK, et al, eds. Defined and Defining Moments in Diabetes Care. Bangalore, India: Micro Knowledge Academy; 2026:238–246.
Lee CH, Naik RG. The role of continuous glucose monitoring in people without diabetes: a US perspective. Chronicle of Diabetes Research and Practice. 2025;4(1):1–3.
Fariduddin MM, Naik RG. Management of lipid abnormalities in metabolic syndrome. Chapter 37. In: Mukhopadhyay S, Mondal S, eds. Metabolic Syndrome: From Mechanisms to Intervention. Elsevier; 2024:493–498.
Young KA, Snell-Bergeon JK, Naik RG, Hokanson JE, Tarullo DT, Gottlieb PA, Garg SK, Rewers M. Vitamin D deficiency and coronary artery calcification in subjects with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2011;34:454–458.
Naik RG, Brooks-Worrell B, Palmer JP. Autoimmune diabetes in adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94(12):4635–4644.
Garg SK, Naik RG. Monitoring in diabetes. In: Therapy for Diabetes Mellitus and Related Disorders. 5th ed. Alexandria, VA: American Diabetes Association; 2009:144–160.
Naik RG, Ellis SL. Self-monitoring of blood glucose in insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2008;10(Suppl 1):S67–S71.
Ellis SL, Naik RG, Gemperline K, Garg SK. Use of continuous glucose monitoring in patients with type 1 diabetes. Curr Diabetes Rev. 2008;4:207–217.
Garg SK, Naik RG. Long-acting insulin analogs versus human insulins. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2008;10:331–332.
Naik RG, Palmer JP. Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults. Chapter 2. In: Jabbour S, et al, eds. Type 1 Diabetes in Adults: Principles and Practice. New York: Informa Healthcare; 2008:17–32.
Naik RG, Sanjeevi CB. Immunogenetics of type 1 diabetes. Chapter 24. In: Tripathy BB, et al, eds. RSSDI Textbook of Diabetes Mellitus. India; 2007:354–369.
Naik RG, Lernmark Å, Palmer JP. The pathophysiology and genetics of type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes. Chapter 3. In: Inzucchi S, ed. Diabetes Mellitus Manual. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2005:29–50.
Naik RG, Beckers C, Wentwoord R, Frenken A, Duinkerken G, Brooks-Worrell B, Schloot NC, Palmer JP, Roep BO. Precursor frequencies of T-cells reactive to insulin in recent onset type 1 diabetes mellitus. J Autoimmun. 2004;23:55–61.
Naik RG, Palmer JP. Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2003;4:233–241.
Naik RG, Lernmark Å, Palmer JP. The pathophysiology and genetics of type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes. Chapter 20. In: Porte D Jr, Sherwin RS, Baron A, eds. Ellenberg & Rifkin’s Diabetes Mellitus. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2003:301–330.
Juneja R, Hirsch IB, Naik RG, Brooks-Worrell BM, Greenbaum CJ, Palmer JP. Islet cell antibodies and glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies, but not the clinical phenotype, help to identify type 1½ diabetes in patients presenting with type 2 diabetes. Metabolism. 2001;50(9):1008–1013.
Naik RG, Palmer JP. Preservation of beta-cell function in type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Rev. 1999;7(3):154–182.
Naik RG, Palmer JP. Late-onset type 1 diabetes. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes. 1997;4:308–315.

Research

Dr. Naik is an internationally recognized expert in type 1 / autoimmune diabetes. His scientific career began with a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he trained under Dr. Jerry Palmer and studied underlying pathophysiology of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) - work that helped define LADA as a distinct clinical entity and continues to shape his approach to diagnosis and treatment today.

He has held senior academic leadership roles advancing clinical and translational research, including Assistant Dean and Director of Translational and Clinical Research Programs at SUNY Upstate Medical University, Director of Diabetes Clinical Innovation at the University of Washington Medicine Diabetes Institute, and Director Diabetes Clinical Research at NYU Langone Health. He has served, over the last several years, as a principal investigator on multiple phase 1 through phase 3 studies in type 1 diabetes, lipid disorders and cardiometabolic disorders.

Medical Lectures & Presentations

The silent threat: prediabetes, cardiovascular risk, and the need for early action. Invited Symposium Speaker, ENDO 2026, Endocrine Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, June 2026.
A quest to define LADA: a tribute to Jerry Palmer. Advances in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, January 2025.
GLP-1 receptor agonists and type 1 diabetes. 20th Annual Irwin D. Mandel Advances in Cardiovascular Risk Reduction, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, December 2024.
Type 1 diabetes: screening, staging, and management. Invited Guest Lecture, 11th World Congress on Prevention of Diabetes and Its Complications, Mumbai, India, August 2024.
Management of hypercholesterolemia. Advances in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, March 2024.
The quest to define latent autoimmune diabetes in adults. Endocrinology Grand Rounds, NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, January 2024.
Effective use of older oral therapies in type 2 diabetes. The Update in Diabetes Management, UW Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, March 2022.