Norway-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has announced a new board member- Dr Soumya Swaminathan (Independent).

Dr Soumya previously served as Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation (WHO) and was instrumental in the establishment and implementation of COVAX, which has enabled access to over 1.9 billion COVID-19 vaccines globally.

Prior to that she was Secretary to the Government of India for Health Research and Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research from 2015 to 2017. She is a globally recognised researcher on tuberculosis and HIV and brings over 30 years’ experience in clinical care and research. She has also worked throughout her career to translate research into impactful programmes.

From 2009 to 2011, she also served as Coordinator of the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases in Geneva. She is an elected Foreign Fellow of the US National Academy of Medicine and a Fellow of all three science academies in India.