Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, MD, has taken over as director general, ICMR & secretary, department of health research (DHR) today. She succeeds Dr VK Katoch. She brings with her vast experience in health research and research administration. Prior to this assignment, Dr. Swaminathan was director, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) in Chennai since 2012.

After completing her MBBS from AFMC, Pune and MD in paediatrics from AIIMS, New Delhi, further training included a fellowship in neonatology and paediatric pulmonology at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, University of Southern California, USA and a research fellowship in the department of paediatric respiratory diseases, University of Leicester, UK.

She joined the Tuberculosis Research Centre, Chennai in 1992 and has spent the past 23 years in health research. Her research interests include paediatric and adult tuberculosis, epidemiology and pathogenesis, the role of nutrition and HIV-associated TB. She also served for 2 years as coordinator, neglected tropical diseases at TDR.  

She holds many professional memberships such as International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (Chair, HIV Section 2009-11); member, International Scientific Advisory Expert Group for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Tuberculosis (APPG TB), UK; and member, Third World Organisation of Women Scientists.

She also serves as a member, UNAIDS Expert Panel and member, Scientific and Technical Advisory Group, WHO Stop TB department. In addition, she serves on many national committees of the health ministry, DBT, DST and national institutes like AIIMS and Indian Institute of Science.

She has the distinction of being awarded the President’s Gold Medal at the undergraduate level for the best all round outgoing student of the year 1980. She was awarded ICMR Kshanika oration award by ICMR in 2008, Tamil Nadu science and technology award in 2012 and is a Fellow of three of India’s science academies. Through DHR and the network of ICMR institutes, Dr. Swaminathan looks forward to focusing on key health priorities and generating scientific evidence for achieving public health impact. Further, she will work towards expanding the scope and quality of biomedical research being conducted in our medical colleges.