61167-Ramakrishnan, Vijay

Vijay R. Ramakrishnan, MD

Professor of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery

Fellowship-Trained Endoscopic Sinus Surgeon

Director of Rhinology Research

Phone
(317) 944-0457
Address
FH 400
OTHN
IN
Indianapolis, IN
PubMed:

Bio

Vijay Ramakrishnan, MD, joined the faculty at Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery in 2022. He came to the department after spending more than a decade at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Dr. Ramakrishnan attended the University of Texas-Austin for a broad education in an honors liberal arts program (Plan II). He went to Baylor College of Medicine for his MD education, and completed residency in Otolaryngology at the University of Colorado. Afterwards, Dr. Ramakrishnan undertook further specialty training in Rhinology at the University of Pennsylvania, and re-joined the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Colorado as faculty in 2010. There, he developed a busy clinical practice of Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery and served as Co-Director of the Skull Base Program with a joint appointment in the Department of Neurosurgery. During this time, he developed an interest in how microbes and inflammation perpetuate chronic sinusitis, and studying surgical techniques to ensure the best outcomes for patients. 

Dr. Ramakrishnan joined the team at IU School of Medicine to pursue further innovations in clinical care and research, and reimagine how physicians provide services and make long-term impactful changes that can benefit everyone. He is a world-renowned Rhinologist, funded by two NIH R01 grants to study the causes of chronic rhinosinusitis and how best to manage it. By studying treatments, outcomes, and laboratory testing, his current research focuses on how to get the best results from endoscopic sinus surgery for patients with chronic sinusitis or nasal polyps. His current research uses the newest technology to study individual differences in chronic sinusitis, predict responses to surgery, restore normal sinus function without antibiotics or steroids, and use AI to help patients personalize their decisions to meet their individual needs.

Ramakrishnan Lab Website

Key Publications

  • Ramakrishnan VR, Hauser LJ, Feazel LM, Ir D, Robertson CE, Frank DN. Sinus microbiota varies among chronic rhinosinusitis phenotypes and predicts surgical outcome (2015). J Allergy Clin Immunol 136(2):334-42.
  • Ramakrishnan VR, Feazel LM, Gitomer SA, Ir D, Robertson CE, Frank DN. The microbiome of the middle meatus in healthy adults (2013). PLoS One 8(12):e85507.
  • Barham HP, Cooper SE, Anderson CB, Tizzano M, Kingdom TT, Finger TE, Kinnamon SC, Ramakrishnan VR. Solitary chemosensory cells and bitter taste receptor signaling in human sinonasal mucosa (2013). Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 3(6):450-7.
  • Feazel LM, Robertson CE, Ramakrishnan VR, Frank DN. Microbiome complexity and Staphylococcus aureus in chronic rhinosinusitis (2012). Laryngoscope;122(2):467-72.
  • Hauser LJ, Feazel LM, Ir D, Fang R, Wagner BD, Robertson CE, Frank DN, Ramakrishnan VR. Sinus culture poorly predicts resident microbiota (2015).  Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 5(1):3-9.
  • Ramakrishnan VR, Larson E, Holt J, Frank DN. Infection and inflammation in chronic rhinosinusitis: Gene ontology/pathway analysis perspective. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2022 Dec;12(12):1566-1569. doi: 10.1002/alr.23052. Epub 2022 Aug 16. PMID: 35829680; PMCID: PMC9712154.
  • Archer KA, Mace JC, Smith TL, Soler ZM, Schlosser RJ, Alt JA, Mattos J, Ramakrishnan VR. Corticosteroid responsive olfactory dysfunction in chronic rhinosinusitis: what does it mean? Rhinology. 2025 Dec 1;63(6):685-695. doi: 10.4193/Rhin24.207. PMID: 40970361.
  • Chapurin N, Schlosser RJ, Gutierrez J, Mace JC, Smith TL, Bodner TE, Khan S, Mulligan JK, Mattos JL, Alt JA, Ramakrishnan VR, Soler ZM. All chronic rhinosinusitis endotype clusters demonstrate improvement in patient-reported and clinical outcome measures after endoscopic sinus surgery. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2024 Apr;14(4):765-774. doi: 10.1002/alr.23255. Epub 2023 Aug 25. PMID: 37563836; PMCID: PMC10858289.
  • Robinson PZ, Frank DN, Ramakrishnan VR. Inflammation resolution and specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators in chronic rhinosinusitis. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2023 Jul-Dec;19(8):969-979. doi: 10.1080/1744666X.2023.2232554. Epub 2023 Jul 4. PMID: 37392068; PMCID: PMC10426389.

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