Hello, my sister, this is Tedros from the World Health Organization.
It was a 6 a.m. WhatsApp call in August 2017 from Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the newly appointed Director-General of the WHO, to Dr. Soumya Swaminathan. Startled, she nearly dropped the phone. At the time, Dr. Soumya was serving as the Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Dr. Tedros had called to invite her to join his leadership team at the WHO. She asked for some time to consider.
Two days later, he called again—this time with a more specific offer: the role of Deputy Director-General for Programmes. Dr. Soumya once again requested time to reflect. After a few days of thought, she declined. She was deeply committed to strengthening the ICMR and had family considerations in India. Yet, this was only the beginning. Dr. Soumya would soon emerge as a pioneering force in global health leadership.
At the Wheel of Research captures two intertwined journeys. One is the extraordinary professional trajectory of Dr. Soumya—from her work in India to her historic tenure as the WHO’s first Chief Scientist, a position created just nine months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore even more challenging. The other is the transformative journey of journalist Anuradha Mascarenhas, a seasoned reporter at The Indian Express, who ventured beyond the world of newsrooms to write a biography—an undertaking she describes as requiring a different yardstick.
The book opens with Dr. Soumya’s formative years alongside her father, Dr. M. S. Swaminathan—the legendary agricultural scientist and architect of India’s Green Revolution—who would ultimately influence her decision to join the WHO. Here, the chapter takes readers through her childhood on the verdant campus of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi, known colloquially as the Pusa Institute, where her father worked as a cytogeneticist. The black and white, sepia-tinted and colour photographs of her family and work life add a visual appeal to the book.
Vivid and interesting anecdotes enrich the narrative: Dr. Soumya’s affection for pets named after figures from Greek mythology; train journeys with her sisters, Madhura and Nitya, from Delhi to their ancestral home in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu; the trip with her father to the IARI’s gamma garden; and the inspiring presence of her mother, Mina—a teacher and philanthropist devoted to helping children from marginalised communities. It was the Swaminathan household’s firm rootedness in science and education that contributed to nurturing in Dr. Soumya a lifelong commitment to inquiry and social responsibility.
The biography also offers a glimpse into Dr. Swaminathan’s father’s influence—his calm and composed demeanour, which she inherited, and which would serve her well during trying times during her career. One such episode occurred in 2021 when Dr. Soumya received threats following a tweet about Ivermectin’s efficacy in treating COVID-19. Her youngest sister, Nitya, recalls how Dr. Soumya remained composed and dedicated to her work amidst the onslaught of personal attacks.
Her academic journey began with winning the prestigious All-India Science Talent Competition in high school. A pivotal moment came during a project at a genetics lab in Calcutta, where she identified a chromosomal abnormality in a patient with delayed puberty—an experience that solidified her passion for scientific research. I felt the power of science at that moment, she recalls.
The book chronicles her medical education at AFMC in Pune in the 1970s—then considered a cyclist’s haven—her simple marriage to Amit, a paediatric orthopaedist, her senior residency in paediatrics at AIIMS, and the couple’s time abroad.
Upon returning to India, a fortunate series of professional connections led her to join the Tuberculosis Research Centre as Assistant Director. She soon became a permanent staff member at ICMR, eventually rising to the post of Director-General. This phase of her career was marked by both significant accomplishments and professional rivalry, as early recognition drew jealousy. The chapter ‘Soumya Arrives’ details her determined efforts to combat the twin epidemics of TB and HIV.
Yet, as explored in the chapter ‘On the World Stage’, it was her WHO tenure—first as Deputy Director-General for Programmes and later as the first Chief Scientist during the COVID-19 pandemic—that revealed her steadiness under pressure. From breaking down complex science for a global audience to countering vaccine misinformation, Dr. Soumya became a key figure in the WHO’s fight against both the virus and the accompanyinginfodemic. The book quotes Dr. R R Gangakhedkar, who was the public face of ICMR during the COVID-19 pandemic: To my mind, she (Soumya) has been one of the best communicators.
Apart from her passion for science and pets, Soumya is also portrayed as someone who loves music. She could switch from pop to rock to jazz to Carnatic music with ease. She could even play the violin and had performed on Akashvani’s Yuvavani programme in 1973.
With deep insights into one of the most influential figures in contemporary global health, At the Wheel of Research offers inspiring lessons to the lay reader as well as to those interested in the intersections of science, policy, and leadership.
Pradeep is Senior Editor at PIC.