Dr. Omesh Bharti, a Padma Shri-awarded Indian physician and specialist in rabies, has been nominated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to serve on the oversight committee of its Strategic Technical Advisory Group (STAG) for Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). He joins as an independent expert on neglected zoonotic diseases — illnesses transmitted between animals and humans that receive limited global health attention — within the 18-member panel conducting a mid-term evaluation of the department. The appointment places an Indian expert at the centre of global efforts to monitor and strengthen research into some of the world's most overlooked infectious diseases.