In 2006 on opting for early retirement he joined the AIMST University in Northern Malaysia. There he developed the community training programme for MBBS students the highlight of which was a much-acclaimed home stay program which brought about significant attitudinal change among medical students. As Deputy Dean he was responsible for curriculum redesign and implementation, training of faculty on pedagogy.

Narayan is a graduate and post-graduate of Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) Pondicherry, an Institute of National Importance. After postgraduation, he joined as a faculty in Community Medicine in the same institute and continued there till 2006 by which time he was Professor and also headed the department. During this period he contributed to the development of the undergraduate curriculum in community medicine and other subjects. As a faculty of the National teacher training centre (NTTC) he was a resource person or organiser for a variety of workshops ranging from pedagogical methods, management, hospital waste management and disease surveillance. Trained in Statistics for Health at the University of Reading, UK under the Commonwealth Fellowship and in Qualitative Research Methods by WHO, he gained experience in research methods, epidemiology and training, and conducted workshops and research projects.

With the advent of computerization in the mid 80s along with colleagues, he established the JIPMER computer club which trained doctors to use computers and played a key role in the computerization of the department of Community Medicine, the networking of JIPMER, the establishment of a computer laboratory and setting up of the Telemedicine Facility. He was also a member of the high power committee for developing the plans for the expansion of JIPMER. He continues with his interest in applications of information technology for education and research.