Dr. Swaminathan to assume charge of Deputy Director General of Programmes (DDP) at WHO

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research. It funded by the Government of India through the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, who is the Director General (DG) of ICMR, is a globally recognised researcher on tuberculosis and HIV. Currently, Dr. Swaminathan is in news because she will assume the charge of Deputy Director General of Programmes (DDP) at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva in December 2017. It is the second-highest position in the WHO. Dr. Swaminathan is the daughter of agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan who is hailed as the father of the ‘Green Revolution’ in India.