Soumya Swaminathan is a pediatrician and globally recognized expert on tuberculosis, HIV, and public health innovation. She served as the World Health Organization’s first Chief Scientist and earlier led the Indian Council of Medical Research. She now chairs the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation and advises the Government of India’s National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme.

With more than forty years of experience, she has worked to translate research into large-scale health programs and strengthen scientific capacity in India and globally. She has authored over 480 publications, is a Fellow of major national and international science academies, and holds honorary doctorates from Karolinska Institute, EPFL Lausanne, and McGill University.

Her current focus is on the health impacts of climate change and on food system transformation to improve nutrition security, especially for women and children.