Dr Sanghamitra Pati is a physician, laboratory scientist, and public health researcher with over 25 years of experience in clinical medicine, epidemiology, and translational research. In 2000, Dr Sanghamitra was honoured with the Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship (JJ/WBGSP), which allowed her to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) at the University of Maastricht in The Netherlands. She further advanced her education and achieved a PhD from the same university in 2023. Her leadership roles have been impactful, particularly in her tenure as the Director of the ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar, from August 2016 to December 2024. In December 2024, she took on the prestigious and responsible role of Additional Director General at the ICMR in New Delhi, the first woman Additional DG of ICMR, continuing her significant contributions to public health research and policy. She played a crucial role during the critical time of COVID-19 by leading sero-surveillance studies, not only in Odisha, but also in adjoining states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. She was also instrumental in co-developing the first ‘Make in Odisha’ rapid Antigen kit for COVID-19 diagnosis. Her Wellcome Trust funded study on estimating the magnitude of multimorbidity in health care settings was the first ever to assess the problem of multimorbidity in any low and middle income countries. The MAQ-PC (multimorbidity assessment questionnaire for primary care) developed by her is currently being used by many countries to measure the burden of multimorbidity . She has been consecutively listed among the top 2 percent of scientists globally in the years 2022,2023, and 2024 . She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS), India; the Royal Society of Public Health (FRSPH), UK; and the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
“I would urge all our young women scientists to think out of the box and try for breakthrough innovations which are indigenous, affordable and have societal value. Science should be for the benefit of people and able to make change. Be the change makers and make India proud!”
- Dr Sanghamitra Pati, Director- Public Health, Regional Medical Research Centre (Odisha) & Additional Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research
