B.V. Rama Sastry, Ph.D., was a professor of pharmacology, emeritus, at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Born in Andhra, India, Sastry received his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in Chemical Technology from Andhra University. For his pharmacology training, he came to the United States in 1956, where he received his M.S. in pharmacology from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1959 and his Ph.D. in pharmacology from Vanderbilt University in 1962.

After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Sastry joined the Vanderbilt faculty as assistant professor of pharmacology, rising through the ranks to full professor by 1971. He served as professor of pharmacology from 1971-1995 and professor of anesthesiology from 1989-1995. Dr. Sastry also served as director of graduate studies in pharmacology from 1965-1989.