A global public health leader. Mission driven, results oriented health professional with more than 35 years of experience in leading medical research, strengthening health systems, health care innovation, managing pandemic preparedness and health care delivery in resource poor settings. As a global leader he has been in the forefront of south-south cooperation, promoting equity in access to health care, democratisation of scientific research and promoting public-private cooperation to bring new technologies and affordable innovative products into the health systems.
He has led India’s Department of Health Research as its Secretary and Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research. He is also a Professor of Cardiology at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and serves as the Executive Director for Stanford India Biodesign Centre, School of International Biodesign (SiB). An extensively published scientist with more than 300 articles in peer reviewed journals and editor-in-chief of the British Medical Journal Innovations and of the Indian Journal of Medical Research.
His experience ranges from treating more than a quarter million patients, training and mentoring super specialised cardiologists to setting health care policies and standards and advising several Ministers of Health and Heads of Government. In recent years he has been at the forefront of managing several public health crises in India including covid-19 and brought Indian research in shaping contemporary global practice through vaccine development and describing role of plasma therapy. He has also received numerous international and national awards for his contributions to health and development and has delivered more than 40 orations across the globe. He has international experience of more than 6 years in USA, Europe and the Middle East.