The international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) also known as Doctors Without Borders in South Asia warmly welcomes Parthesarathy Rajendran as our new Executive Director.
Parthesarathy Rajendran, known by colleagues as Sarathy, is a humanitarian professional and global health expert with nearly two decades of experience across crisis and development contexts. He holds degrees in Economics, Anthropology, and a Masters in International Health from Heidelberg University (Germany).
“Thrilled to take on the role of Executive Director at MSF South Asia at this pivotal moment—leading the development of a new Strategic Plan and the creation of an Operational Directorate in Asia. A unique opportunity to drive impact, strengthen humanitarian response, and shape MSF’s future in the region. Ready for the challenge!”, stated Sarathy.
Some priority issues that Sarathi will lead MSF South Asia section on are climate health, response to emergencies, antimicrobial resistance research, women health, health of displaced populations; as well as elevating tropical medical education, and speaking out about some of the most pressing crises that are witnessed by MSF teams around the world.
Hailing from Pondicherry, India, Sarathy also held the position of Senior Researcher at the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, where Sarathi designed capacity-strengthening programs and supports public health institutions in developing academic curricula.
Sarathy began his career with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in 2005, responding to the Indian Ocean Tsunami as a mental health project coordinator in southern India. Over 15 years with MSF, he held diverse leadership roles—including Head of Mission and Project Coordinator—in countries such as South Sudan, Malawi, South Africa, Ethiopia, Somalia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Nauru. After leaving MSF in 2017, he worked with other INGOs, including People in Need and Solidarités International. As of 2021, Sarathy became a member of MSF International’s Board serving briefly as International Vice President (2024–2025).
