Soumya Swaminathan (scientist)

Soumya Swaminathan (born 2 May 1959) is an Indian paediatrician and clinical scientist known for her research on tuberculosis.[1][2] Swaminathan has been Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization since March 2019.[3][4] Previously, from October 2017 to March 2019, she was the Deputy Director General of Programmes (DDP) at the World Health Organization.[5]

Soumya Swaminathan
Born (1959-05-02) 2 May 1959
Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India
NationalityIndian
EducationArmed Forces Medical College
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Keck School of Medicine of USC
OccupationChief Scientist, WHO
Parent(s)M. S. Swaminathan
Mina Swaminathan

Early life and education

Soumya was born in Chennai, India. Swaminathan is the daughter of "Indian Father of Green Revolution" M. S. Swaminathan and Indian educationalist Mina Swaminathan. Soumya has two siblings, Madhura Swaminathan, a professor of economics at the Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore, and Nithya Swaminathan, a Senior Lecturer in Gender Analysis in International Development at the University of East Anglia.[6]

Swaminathan holds M.B.B.S. from Armed Forces Medical College and M.D. from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, along with a Diplomate of National Board from National Board of Examinations. She subsequently held Post Doctoral Medical Fellowship in Pediatric Pulmonology at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles,California, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.[7]

Career
  • Fellowship in Neonatology and Pediatric Pulmonology (1987 - 1989) at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, University of Southern California, US.
  • Research Fellow (Registrar) in the Dept of Pediatric Respiratory Diseases, University of Leicester, UK: 1989–1990.
  • Senior Research Officer (Supernumerary Research Cadre), Cardiopulmonary Medicine Unit,
  • Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor, Dept. of Public Health and Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine[8]
  • Director - National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis
  • Coordinator of the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases in Geneva - 2009 to 2011[5]
  • Secretary to the Government of India for Health Research and Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research - 2015 to 2017[5]
  • Deputy Director-General - WHO, Oct 2017 to Mar 2019[4]
  • Chief Scientist - WHO, Mar 2019-[5]

Selected research

Swaminathan joined the National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis in Chennai in 1992 (later became its director). She started a multi-disciplinary group of clinical, laboratory and behavioural scientists studying various aspects of TB and TB/HIV. Swaminathan along with her colleagues were among the first to scale up the use of molecular diagnostics for TB surveillance and care, to undertake large field trials of community-randomised strategies to deliver TB treatment to underserved populations.[9] Most recently she is part of the TB Zero City Project which aims to create "Islands of elimination" working with local governments, institutions and grassroots associations.[10]

Awards
  • 1999: XI National Pediatric Pulmonary Conference, Dr. Keya Lahiri Gold Medal for best paper
  • 2008: Indian Council of Medical Research, Kshanika Oration Award
  • 2009: International Union against TB and Lung Diseases, Vice-Chair, HIV section
  • 2011: Indian Academy of Pediatrics, Fellow
  • 2011: Indian Association of Applied Microbiologists, Lifetime Achievement Award
  • 2012: Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Award
  • 2012: National Academy of Sciences, India, Fellow
  • 2013: Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, Fellow,
  • 2016: NIPER, ASTRAZENECA research endowment award[11]

Personal life

Swaminathan is married to Ajit Yadav, an orthopedic surgeon.[12][13]

Selected works and publications
  • Murray, Christopher J L; Barber, Ryan M; Foreman, Kyle J; Ozgoren, Ayse Abbasoglu; Abd-Allah, Foad; Abera, Semaw F; Aboyans, Victor; Abraham, Jerry P; Abubakar, Ibrahim; Abu-Raddad, Laith J; Abu-Rmeileh, Niveen M; Achoki, Tom; Ackerman, Ilana N; Ademi, Zanfina; Adou, Arsène K; Adsuar, José C; Afshin, Ashkan; Agardh, Emilie E; ...; Swaminathan, Soumya (November 2015). "Global, regional, and national disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 306 diseases and injuries and healthy life expectancy (HALE) for 188 countries, 1990–2013: quantifying the epidemiological transition". The Lancet. 386 (10009): 2145–2191. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)61340-X. PMC 4673910. PMID 26321261.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Wikidata ()
  • Forouzanfar, Mohammad H; Alexander, Lily; Anderson, H Ross; Bachman, Victoria F; Biryukov, Stan; Brauer, Michael; Burnett, Richard; Casey, Daniel; Coates, Matthew M; Cohen, Aaron; Delwiche, Kristen; Estep, Kara; Frostad, Joseph J; KC, Astha; Kyu, Hmwe H; Moradi-Lakeh, Maziar; Ng, Marie; Slepak, Erica Leigh; ...; Swaminathan, Soumya (December 2015). "Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013". The Lancet. 386 (10010): 2287–2323. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00128-2. PMC 4685753. PMID 26364544.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Wikidata ()

References
  1. Nikita Mehta. "Soumya Swaminathan to take charge of Indian Council of Medical Research". Live Mint.
  2. "Dr. Soumya Swaminathan" (PDF). Indian Council of Medical Research. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  3. Thacker, Teena (7 March 2019). "WHO rejigs management, deputy D-G Soumya Swaminathan will now be chief scientist". Livemint.
  4. Sharma, Neetu Chandra (4 October 2017). "Dr Soumya Swaminathan appointed WHO's deputy director general for programmes". Livemint.
  5. "WHO Headquarters Leadership Team". Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  6. "Image, The Hindu Business Line". Archived from the original on 25 May 2006. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  7. "Secretary Profile". Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
  8. ISITE Design. "Soumya Swaminathan, MD, MNAMS". tufts.edu.
  9. Das, Pamela (19 March 2016). "Soumya Swaminathan: re-energising tuberculosis research in India". The Lancet. 387 (10024): 1153. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30008-3. ISSN 0140-6736. PMID 27025325.
  10. "Site 1: Chennai, India — Advance Access & Delivery". 16 February 2017. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2018.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  11. "Index of /silverjubilee". niper.ac.in. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  12. "BioSpectrum Awards 2003 - Life Time Achievement Award". www.biospectrumindia.com.
  13. "Look WHO's New Deputy DG" (PDF). GNC Connect. Vol. 3 no. 6. September 2017. p. 5.
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