Director general of Indian Council of Medical Research, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, is likely to take over as the deputy director general of World Health Organization (WHO). As Deputy DG, she will hold office in Geneva.

WHO is yet to make an official announcement about her posting. Dr Swaminathan also holds the post of Secretary, Health Research in MoHFW. The 58-year-old is a paediatrician and a clinical scientist. She is known for her research on Tuberculosis. She is the daughter of MS Swaminathan (92), the acclaimed Indian geneticist and father of green revolution.

In her new role, Dr Swaminathan will look over all operations of WHO, including monitoring of communicable and non-communicable diseases except for emergencies, and hold the number two position in WHO after the DG.

Dr Swaminathan has been serving as DG ICMR for over two years now. ICMR is the apex body in India for biomedical research. A repository on clinical research and public health, Dr Swaminathan's earlier stint in WHO was as Co-ordinator, Research in Neglected Priorities, TDR (Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases) from 2009 to 2011.