Dr Soumya Swaminathan to head as Chief Scientist at WHO

Published On 2019-03-08 03:55 GMT | Update On 2021-10-12 12:00 GMT

The Director-General, Dr Ghebreyesus, mentioned that the position was created keeping Dr Swaminathan in the context.

New Delhi: The first Indian to hold the position of a deputy director-general at World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Soumya Swaminathan, has now been given a post of Chief Scientist to head a newly created department to strengthen the scientific work under WHO.

The WHO has recently constituted a new division which is being seen as a fifth pillar to strengthen the organisation's core scientific work and ensure the quality and consistency of its norms and standards.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, an Indian Paediatrician and Clinical Scientist known for her work in Tuberculosis. On 3 October 2017, she was appointed as the Deputy Director General of Programmes (DDP) at the World Health Organization by the Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. She worked as Secretary, Department of Health Research - Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of Biomedical research.

In a conversation with the Hindu business line, Dr Swaminathan confirmed, "Yes. I am now Chief Scientist, a newly created position and division."

Dr Swaminathan told the live mint., "This newly created position of chief scientist will give me an opportunity to strengthen WHO's core normative work, promote research on public health priorities and strengthen health research capacity in countries including on ethics, and accelerate access to digital technologies to improve health,"

The Director-General, Dr Ghebreyesus, mentioned that the position was created keeping Dr Swaminathan in the context.

In a note, Dr Ghebreyesus said, "What will be announced today will be the result of your ideas. For the past 18 months, they (WHO officials) have been relentless in conducting a root-and-branch examination of what we do, why we do it, and how we can do it better."

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