OPPI elects A . Vaidheesh as president
46 PEOPLE NEWS l BioSpectrum | November 2017 | www . biospectrumindia . com
WHO appoints Dr Soumya Swaminathan as DDP
The head of Indian Council of Medical Research , Dr Soumya Swaminathan , has been appointed as the new Deputy Director General for Programmes ( DDP ) at the World Health Organisation in Geneva . Trained as a paediatrician , Dr Soumya is a specialist on tuberculosis and she is now the number two in the global hierarchy of the WHO , which comes as a big leg up for India in the global health circuit .
According to the WHO , Dr Soumya Swaminathan has been appointed Deputy Director General for Programmes ( DDP ). A paediatrician from India and a globally recognised researcher on tuberculosis and HIV , she brings with her 30 years of experience in clinical care and research and has worked throughout her career to translate research into impactful programmes .
Dr Soumya has been working as Secretary of the Department of Health Research and Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research . 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 ( TDR ) in Geneva .
With this appointment Dr Soumya becomes the highest ranking Indian official in the entire United Nations system across the world and joins the list of top 20 most powerful women among the United Nations bodies and would be among the top 50 most highly ranked persons in the United Nations system .
OPPI elects A . Vaidheesh as president
The Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India ( OPPI ), which represents research-based pharmaceutical companies in India , has unanimously elected A Vaidheesh , vice president , South Asia & managing director , GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals as president for the year 2017-18 . He takes over from Dr Shailesh Ayyangar , managing director , India & Head - South Asia , Sanofi who held this position since 2013 . The four elected vice presidents are Sharad Tyagi , managing director , Boehringer Ingelheim ; Sanjiv Navangul , managing director , Janssen India ( Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson Ltd ); S Sridhar , managing director , Pfizer Ltd and Anand Nambiar , managing director , Merck India Ltd . The member companies of OPPI have played a very important and responsible role in collaborating with the Government and various stakeholder groups to ensure that high quality , innovative and essential medicines are available at affordable prices across India . Along with an inclusive ecosystem , in the coming years , healthcare financing will also play its role in improving access to healthcare . OPPI has clear priorities and along with the OPPI Secretariat led by Kanchana TK , Director General , OPPI , Vaidheesh plans on working towards serving more patients in India .
FOGSI doctors receive IMA award
Dr Hrishikesh D Pai and Dr Rishma Dhillon Pai of the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India ( FOGSI ) have recently received Indian Medical Association ’ s top awards for their contribution to the field of gynaecology and fertility treatments . Dr Hrishikesh D Pai was honored with the ‘ Doctor of the Year Award ’, while Dr Rishma Dhillon Pai was accorded the ‘ Woman Empowerment Award ’ by the IMA .
Dr Hrishikesh Pai is well-known for his work in the field of family planning and community services . He is the Secretary General of the FOGSI . Among his many contributions to society are the introduction of numerous innovations such as assisted laser hatching , spindle view , ovarian tissue freezing for cancer patients , oocyte freezing , IMSI , and embryoscope .
Dr Rishma Dhillon Pai is a pioneer in the uterine Balloon Ablation therapy , for the treatment of Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding ( DUB ), in India . Among her contributions to the society include several initiatives for women ’ s health , mobilising 1,500 private gynaecologists to volunteer their services free of cost , helping needy patients in delivery , and public programmes on gender awareness .