Dr Kavita Singh is a senior medical professional with expertise in healthcare product development and a deep understanding of the nation’s pharma, biotech, and discovery-and-development ecosystem
She is presently the Asia Continental Lead and Director, South Asia, at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). Here, she leads the team in Asia to align with national health programs of the Ministries of South Asia and South-East Asia, WHO, industry, academia/research institutes, and clinicians to deliver the required new treatments. The role combines overseeing the continental portfolio, access to treatment, onboarding new partners, and multi-donor mobilization.
In her prior role as the Mission Director of the National Biopharma Mission from inception, and in leading Mission COVID Suraksha and the Ind-CEPI program at the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (Government of India), she led these multimillion-dollar programs. The mission is remembered for brokering unconventional partnerships, launching the ‘trains’ and the ‘tracks’ for the Indian biopharma sector to run on, and keeping a strong ear on the ground to identify points of intervention. This strategic intervention was a key catalyst in accelerating the Indian biopharma sector’s annual growth, and the World Bank has recognized the National Biopharma Mission (NBM) as a hidden jewel in its portfolio.
Dr Kavita was the Program Director of the Multi-Vaccine Development Program, which was a translational R&D society established under the guidance of DBT, ICGEB, and PATH. This society was extremely effective in advancing malaria vaccine candidates from bench to clinic, and she remembers it as a ‘real-life’ insight into challenges faced during academia-industry collaboration and models for overcoming these challenges.
She remembers her years at Shantha Biotechnics and Ranbaxy as a masterclass in the rigour and urgency of product development. Her industry experience with some of the veterans and founders was defined by translating science into accessible solutions.
She holds an MBBS, an MD in Microbiology, an Executive Program in Business Management, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Epidemiology. Passionate about yoga and self-drive travel, she has completed a 50-day road trip from India to London and a 10-day trip from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.