WHO chief scientist departs ahead of broader shake-up

FILE PHOTO: World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan attends a news conference at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland July 3, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

LONDON/GENEVA (Reuters) - The chief scientist of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday she was leaving the agency, the first of a series of high-profile departures expected at the global health body as it prepares for a post-pandemic future.

The exit of Soumya Swaminathan, an Indian pediatrician, announced on Twitter, comes as Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus's second term as leader of the 74-year-old U.N. agency gets underway. Swaminathan did not give a reason.