It just keeps getting better and better! Indian scientists are not just doing ground breaking discoveries, but beating the world to it too! Be it the Mangalyaan or Mars-Craft by ISRO or Chandrayaan 1, India's first moon probe led by Mylswamy Annadurai (ISRO again) or empowering students with the Aakash Tablet envisaged by Suneet Singh Tuli in recent years, India’s science space has been booming. And to add another feather to the cap is the latest appointment of Scientist Soumya Swaminathan as Director General at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Her achievement is magnified by the astonishing fact that she is the second woman to head the ICMR in its 100-year history. The scientist, known for her work in tuberculosis research, will also be the Secretary of the Department of Health Research. The first woman DG at ICMR was Dr. Gowdagere Satyavati.
In her current capacity, Dr. Swaminathan will head 32 research centres under ICMR which is the premier agency for Biomedical Research in India. Dr. Swaminathan was the Director of the National Institute of Research in Tuberculosis in Chennai prior to being appointed DG at ICMR.
Education qualification of Dr. Swaminathan
- MBBS/ Graduate from Armed Forces Medical College in Pune (AFMC)
- MD in Pediatrics from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi with specialisation in Pediatric pulmonology
In an interview to Nature India after her appointment, Dr. Swaminathan said she hopes the country sees more women in science leadership roles. “I am confident that, in the future, there will be more women in leadership positions in science. However, I hope I am not judged differently because I am a woman – the yardstick should be the same for all scientists.”
Dr. Swaminathan's vision as Head of ICMR
- Affordable healthcare and improving the infrastructure of medical facilities in India
“I will focus on leveraging the strengths of our existing institutions, building capacity where it is lacking, rewarding excellence, increasing networking and enhancing collaboration with national and international science agencies,” she says. “There is a need to establish a mechanism for supporting the translation of early leads into products and then performing a rigorous evaluation of indigenously developed diagnostics and devices that would make healthcare more affordable.”
click4college wishes Dr. Swaminathan success in her 3 year tenure at ICMR and hopes that this is just the beginning of a long journey of women leaders in the country.
Source: With inputs from Vagabomb