Public health crises require urgent innovation, not only in research and development (R&D) but also in delivery and access to available diagnostics and therapies. But what constitutes “urgency” and “innovation” in these contexts? And how are priorities and targets determined during crises?  An upcoming Global Challenges Seminar organized by WIPO Re:Search entitled Urgent Innovation – Policies and Practices for Effective Response to Global Health Crises will bring together experts in R&D, policy, and delivery, for a two-part panel discussion around these questions and related issues.

The Director General of WIPO, Francis Gurry, will deliver introductory remarks and Dr Soumya Swaminathan, the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Chief Scientist, will deliver the keynote address.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan was most recently WHO's Deputy Director-General for Programmes. A paediatrician from India and a globally recognized 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 Swaminathan was Secretary to the Government of India for Health Research and Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research from 2015 to 2017. In that position, she focused on bringing science and evidence into health policy making, building research capacity in Indian medical schools and forging south-south partnerships in health sciences. 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 in Geneva.