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Dr Sanghamitra Pati
Public Health Scientist & Administrator
When research meets real-world crises, transformation follows. In 2025, Dr Sanghamitra Pati strengthened the bridge between epidemiology, policy and public health systems – and positioned herself at the helm of change.
Dr Sanghamitra is a distinguished physician, laboratory scientist, and public-health researcher with over 25 years of experience in clinical medicine, epidemiology, and health systems research. She earned her MBBS (1992) and MD (1998) from MKCG Medical College in Berhampur, Odisha, before completing an MPH and later a PhD from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands. From August 2016 to December 2024, she served as Director of the ICMR Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar (RMRC), and, in December 2024, she moved to the national stage as Additional Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), overseeing biomedical research and policymaking across India.
2025 marked a heightened emphasis on systems, data, and multi-morbidities under her leadership. She led large seroprevalence studies during the COVID-19 pandemic across Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand, and spearheaded the development of India’s first Make in Odisha rapid antigen kit for COVID-19 diagnosis. Her academic output is prolific: more than 350 peer-reviewed publications, an h-index of 45, and membership of numerous global health and cancer-care networks.
This year deepened her conviction that science must serve society. She says that effective public-health leadership combines rigorous research with empathy, and that real progress begins when communities trust the system, not just hearing results but seeing outcomes. Her work on multimorbidity, non-communicable diseases, and implementation research reflects this philosophy. This is the year Dr Sanghamitra has stood firmly at the intersection of science and service.
“I would urge all our young women scientists to think out of the box and try for breakthrough innovations which are indigenous, affordable and have societal value. Science should be for the benefit of people and should be able to make a change. Be the change makers and make India proud!”
– Dr Sanghamitra Pati
The Fab List 2025
We know you’re always looking for motivation and, this issue, we bring it to you from the best of the best. Our Fab List showcases women who have worked hard, endured, and overcome struggles to have a fabulous 2025. We know you will be inspired by their trials and their triumphs. Apart from bending rules and breaking barriers, they have marched relentlessly towards their goal… and have had a cracking year. From the country’s president to entrepreneurs, actors, doctors, and the winning cricket team, among others, we celebrate them all…
Also Read: The Fab List 2025: Dr N Shilfa Nigar, Chief Dental Surgeon – Apollo Clinics
