Pemmasani was born on 7 March 1976[5] at Burripalem, Guntur district in present-day Andhra Pradesh in an agricultural family to Pemmasani Sambasiva Rao and his wife Suvarchala.[6] He has a brother named Ravi Shankar Pemmasani. Although he was born in Burripalem, he spent some time in his childhood in Narasaraopet because of his father's hotel business.[7] He completed his 10th class in 1991 and his intermediate in 1993. With aspirations to become a doctor, he secured 27th rank in the EAMCET in 1993–94 and obtained a seat at Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad.[8]
He finished his postgraduate training in internal medicine at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania. In the course of his postgraduate training, he served as the representative of Pennsylvania in a national medical knowledge competition for two consecutive years. Subsequently, he served as an attending physician at Johns Hopkins University and Sinai Hospital for approximately five years, teaching residents and medical students.[9]
Pemmasani contributed to the provision of free potable water to residents of the Palnadu region in Andhra Pradesh, within the Guntur district. He provided funding for educational support for children and adults, and has contributed charitably to local community entities.[11]