FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics, on Friday announced that Dr. Soumya Swaminathan is one of three new appointments to the FIND Board of Directors.
A paediatrician from India and a globally recognized researcher on tuberculosis and HIV, Dr Soumya was the first Chief Scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO). Previously, she has been Secretary to the Government of India for Health Research, and from 2015 to 2017 she was Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research.
She has also served as Coordinator of the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases in Geneva. Her 3-year FIND Board term begins this month.
“Dr Soumya brings with her over 30 years’ experience in clinical care, research and leadership, specializing in bringing science and evidence-driven practices into health policy making. She was elected Foreign Fellow of the US National Academy of Medicine and of three science academies in India. Over her auspicious career she has published more than 350 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters,” the organisation said in a statement.
Her appointment to the FIND Board was ratifed alongside those of Dr Malebona Precious Matsoso, a former Director-General of the National Department of Health in South Africa, and Dr Ayoade (Yodi) Alakija, a global health leader, humanitarian, and advocate for social justice including health for all, who becomes FIND Chair.
“We warmly welcome Dr Soumya to our Board of Directors. She is a person of great scientific, political and programmatic stature, adept at translating technical knowledge to needs on the ground. Her vast experience of working with communities will be pivotal to helping us define strategies to make sure everyone who needs a test can get one,” Dr Sanjay Sarin, Vice President Access, and head of the FIND office in India, said in a statement.
Of the ten current FIND Board members, two are now Indian nationals, as Dr Soumya joins Ms Shobana Kamineni, Executive Vice-Chair of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd and a pioneer in private healthcare in India.
“Happy to join the FIND Board to help improve the diagnostics landscape in LMICs – particularly at primary care level – and to address inequity in this space. There is a need to leverage technology to ensure the proper diagnoses are made, to improve health outcomes,” Dr Swaminathan said on Friday.
The full FIND Board of Directors now comprises:
- Ayoade (Yodi) Alakija, Chair
- Daniel Camus
- Christian Frutiger
- David Heymann
- Shobana Kamineni
- Ilona Kickbusch
- Malebona Precious Matsoso
- Carlos Morel
- Marcel Tanner
- Soumya Swaminathan