In our history, infectious diseases have had and continue to have devastating consequences. The extension of the human lifespan in the 20^th century came from our ability to control the scourges of the past, smallpox, tuberculosis, plague and malaria through safer water and sanitation, drugs and vaccines. 

Science transformed society, but with climate change, new threats can and will emerge. From data and modelling to emerging technologies, as the world’s most populous country, India needs to be prepared for its people and the world.

About the Speaker

Professor Kang is a physician scientist who has worked on vaccines and public health, particularly focused on children and enteric infectious disease in India. Based at the Christian Medical College, Vellore for three decades, she built national rotavirus and typhoid surveillance networks to estimate disease burden, test vaccines and inform policy.

She is now a Director in the Global Health team at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, responsible for the enterics, diagnostics, epidemiology and genomics portfolio. The enterics team supports enteric viral and bacterial vaccine development across a range of platforms. She is the first Indian woman to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, an Infosys Prize winner 2016, and Co-author of the bestseller: Till We Win: India’s Fight Against The COVID-19 Pandemic.