Dr Soumya Swaminathan Birthday: Know all about the Indian paediatrician known for her research on Tuberculosis and HIV

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, a paediatrician from India and former chief scientist World Health Organisation (WHO) known for her research on Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV, celebrates her birthday tomorrow on May 2.

Swaminathan is the daughter of 'Father of Green Revolution of India', M S Swaminathan and Indian educationalist Mina Swaminathan. She took charge as the chairwoman of the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in February this year.

On her birth anniversary let us look at her life journey so far.

Early Life

Swaminathan received an MBBS from the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune. She received her academic training in India, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. She has an MD in pediatrics from All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. She is a Diplomate of National Board from National Board of Examinations.

As part of her training, from 1987 to 1989 Swaminathan completed a post-doctoral medical fellowship in neonatology and pediatric pulmonology at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Career

The former WHO chief scientist has also worked throughout her career to translate research into impactful programs. 

From 2009 to 2011, Swaminathan also served as Coordinator of the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases in Geneva.

Swaminathan, an elected Foreign Fellow of the US National Academy of Medicine and a Fellow of all three science academies in India, has published over 350 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters.

Previously, she was the Secretary to the Government of India for Health Research and Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research from 2015 to 2017. During this period, Swaminathan focused on bringing science and evidence into health policy making, building research capacity in Indian medical schools and forging south-south partnerships in health sciences.