The award was presented to her at a function held at the Yashvantrao Chavan Centre near Mantralaya on the occasion of the 111th birth anniversary of Yashwantrao Chavan, who was a chief minister of Maharashtra and Union minister.
Mumbai: Former chief scientist at the World Health Organisation Dr. Soumya Swaminathan was recently awarded the prestigious Yashwantrao Chavan national award for her significant work in the medical field.
The award was presented to her at a function held at the Yashvantrao Chavan Centre near Mantralaya on the occasion of the 111th birth anniversary of Yashwantrao Chavan, who was a chief minister of Maharashtra and Union minister. The award was specially in recognition of her work on TB, paediatrics and HIV. Swaminathan has served as the chief scientist at the WHO and is currently the chairperson of MS Swaminathan Research Foundation.
In her acceptance speech, Dr.Soumya Swaminathan said epidemic diseases can be overcome if the people are trusted and the right information is disseminated. “During the Corona period, all countries invested heavily in vaccine research and it benefited greatly. Manmade degradation of nature invites many epidemics. At such a time, there is a need for huge investment in the science and technology sector,” she said.
The national award selection committee was formed under the chairmanship of eminent nuclear scientist Dr. Anil Kakodkar and included former vice chancellor of SNDT University Dr. Rupa Shah, senior scientist Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, former vice chancellor of Mumbai University Prof. Suhas Pednekar, economist Dr. Narendra Jadhav, information technology professional Mr. Vivek Sawant and architect I.M. Qadri.