Dr Geetanjali Sachdeva is a distinguished scientist and academician, specialising in reproductive biology with over 24 years of experience. Serving as the Director of National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) since 2021, her research laboratory has been addressing the pathogenesis of lesion formation in women with endometriosis, a morbidity affecting approximately 43 million women in India. Towards that, she has identified that DNA damage response machinery is altered in ectopic lesions and this offers a pro-survival advantage to ectopic lesions. She believes that devising strategies to block this pathway may lead to new therapeutic modalities. During 2024, the institute, under her leadership, made more strides to reach rural and tribal populations and conducted studies to identify effective strategies for addressing hemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell anaemia in neonates, anaemia and preeclampsia in pregnant women, and birth defects in children. In recognition of her outstanding contributions over the years, she has received several prestigious awards, including the ICMR Swaran Kanta Dingley Award, GP Talwar Midlevel Career Award, and Royan International Research Award. Through her scientific excellence, mentorship, and contributions to national health initiatives, Dr Geetanjali continues to shape the future of reproductive biology and healthcare research in India.
“It is necessary that multi-disciplinary skills are acquired by women who are getting trained in life sciences. Gender-neutral collaborations and networking skills are some of the areas where women have to improve.”
-Dr Geetanjali Sachdeva, Director, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health
