Ramakanta Panda is the Chief Consultant for Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgery and the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Asian Heart Institute, a speciality cardiac care hospital under the aegis of Asian Hospitals, at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai, India. He was born on Damodarpur, Jajpur district, Odisha, India. He studied for two years at BJB College and then went to SCB Medical College, Cuttack; he was the university topper in both places. He was topper at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where he did his postgraduation in surgery and heart surgery between 1980 and 1985. Ramakanta Panda is credited and recognized among his peers as one of the first in India to introduce "total arterial revascularization", as well as being one of the pioneers of "off-pump" bypass surgery and redo bypass surgery in high-risk surgeries. He is particular about bringing the latest medical advances to India. AHI was the very first hospital in Western India to employ the da Vinci Si Surgical System.

Panda has, in the last few years, performed a number of high-profile cardiac surgeries on members of the Indian government. In January 2009, Panda led the AHI team that operated on Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister of India. This successful 'redo bypass', the second for Singh, further cemented Panda's reputation as one of India's leading cardiac surgeon. In August 2010, Panda operated on Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister of the north-eastern Indian state of Assam. In January 2014, Panda operated on D. Raja, a leader of the Communist Party of India. In June 2014 he operated on Odisha Congress leader and former minister Narasingha Mishra. In August 2014, Panda operated on Lalu Prasad Yadav, ex Railway Minister and a significant politician from the state of Bihar. In January 2010, Ramakanta Panda was awarded the Padma Bhushan by Pratibha Patil, the President of India. Dr. Panda has also been conferred with Degree of Doctorate in Science (Honorius Causa) from Utkal University, Orissa. The Central Board of Taxes, Government of India, has awarded him the prestigious Rashtriya Samman Patra twice, for being one of the highest taxpayers in India. He was nominated to the AIIMS governing body.