Lakshman Mulpuri, MD received his Doctorate of Medicine from Wayne State University School of Medicine as Commencement Speaker, and went on to complete a Research Fellowship in Cornea and Refractive Surgery at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and is a Class of 2027 PGY-2 Resident in the Department of Ophthalmology at Cook County Health Department.  He is the principal author of six articles published in peer-reviewed research journals and co-author of five others.  He has long served as Medical and Policy Advisor for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities' College of Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine, supporting its mission of seeking to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes in communities of color.  He has played a prominent activist leadership role in other community and university settings, for example for four years as Managing Director and Executive Board Member and successful fundraiser for the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Auntie Na’s Village in Detroit, and as the former President of the Plant Based Nutrition Group (PBNG) at Wayne State University School of Medicine throughout his enrollment there.

While at Wayne State, Dr. Mulpuri developed and implemented the first North American plant-based nutrition curriculum for first year medical students, titled "Rooting for Wellness," and published its model in the International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention.  The other peer-reviewed journal articles for which he was principal author covered subjects ranging widely among keratoplasty surgery safety, Dry Eye disease pharmacology, diabetic retinopathy medications, children's infectious conjunctivitis, and relationships between dietary patterns and ophthalmic diseases, the latter of which is a major ongoing current focus for him.  His keratoplasty related Pilot Safety Study was honored as Best Paper of Session at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 2023 conference.