Key leadership appointments made to drive WHO’s strategic direction and initiatives

The new appointments follow the re-election of Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for his second five-year term as Director General. The overall leadership team has been consolidated to align with the Organization’s priorities for the next five years and will work closely with the Director-General to drive these priorities and WHO’s ambitious transformation agenda forward.

To accelerate progress in implementing WHO’s 13th General Program of Work (GPW13) and achieving its “triple billion” targets and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals, WHO’s work to the next five years is focused on five priorities: creating a paradigm shift towards health promotion and disease prevention by addressing its root causes; radically reorient health systems towards primary health care; strengthen preparedness and response systems for health emergencies; harnessing the power of science, innovation, data and technologies to promote health; and strengthen WHO as the leading authority on global health and achieve impact in countries.

The leadership team at headquarters, made up of equal numbers of women and men, will work in conjunction with WHO regional and country offices.

New members of the headquarters leadership team:

• Dr Jeremy Farrar will become the Chief Scientific Officer of WHO effective May 8, 2023. Dr. Farrar’s appointment was previously announced in December 2022. In this role, Dr. Farrar will oversee the Science Division, bringing together the best experts and networks in science and innovation from around the world to guide, develop and deliver high-quality health policies and services to the people who need them most. Before joining WHO, Dr. Farrar was a director of the Wellcome Trust. Before joining Wellcome in 2013, Dr. Farrar spent 17 years as Director of the Clinical Research Unit at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Vietnam, where his research interests were in global health with a focus on infectious diseases. emerging. Dr. Farrar is a clinical researcher with a medical degree and a Ph.D.

• Dr. Ailan Li he will become Deputy Director General of Universal Health Coverage, Healthier Populations effective May 8, 2023. In this role, Dr. Li will oversee the Organization’s efforts to promote better health and well-being through interventions related to environmental, social and economic determinants of health, including climate change, tobacco control, chemical safety, road safety, food systems and nutrition, physical activity, air pollution and radiation, through a One Health approach. Dr. Li has served as the WHO Representative in the Kingdom of Cambodia since July 15, 2019. Prior to this role, Dr. Li served as the Regional Director of Emergencies for the WHO Health Emergencies Program at the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific. Dr. Li has a medical degree and a degree in health social sciences.

• Dr. Yukiko Nakatani he will become Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Products effective May 2, 2023. In this role, Dr. Nakatani will oversee the development and implementation of WHO standards and policies to ensure equitable access to medicines , vaccines and quality diagnostics for all populations worldwide. including to prevent and respond to epidemics. Dr. Nakatani has served as Director of the Cancer and Disease Control Division of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and as Technical Adviser to the Minister of State for the COVID-19 Vaccination Task Force in Japan. D.r Nakatani has a medical degree and a doctorate in public health.

• Dr. Razia Pendse he will become Chief of Staff effective May 4, 2023. In this role, Dr. Pendse will lead the Office of the CEO, helping drive the Organization’s priorities and initiatives, and ensure alignment within the leadership team of WHO and at the three levels of WHO. . Dr. Pendse has served as Director of Healthier Populations and Noncommunicable Diseases at the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia and was previously the WHO Representative in Sri Lanka. Dr. Pendse has a medical degree and a master’s degree in public health.

• Dr. Jérôme Salomon will become Assistant Director General for Universal Health Coverage, Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases effective April 17, 2023. In this role, Dr. Salomon will oversee a broad portfolio of technical programs covering HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, malaria, tropical diseases, mental health, substance use disorders, and noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancer. Dr. Salomon has served as Director General of Health at the French Ministry of Health and Prevention. He was a member of the WHO Executive Board prior to his appointment and has extensive experience in health systems management, communicable diseases, and international public health. Dr. Salomon has a medical degree, a master’s degree in public health, and a doctorate in epidemiology.

Portfolios of existing members of the headquarters leadership team:

• Dr. Samira Asthma he will continue as Assistant Director General of Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact. Dr. Asma oversees a portfolio ensuring that health data is trusted, accessible, and used to improve health outcomes around the world, including tracking and accelerating progress toward the 3 billion targets and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals. Before joining WHO in 2018, Dr. Asma held leadership positions at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for more than two decades. She has a doctorate in dental surgery and a master’s degree in public health.

• Dr Bruce Aylward has been appointed Assistant Director-General for Universal Health Coverage, Life Cycle Division effective May 4, 2023. Dr. Aylward has been leading the WHO Transformation Agenda and the Organization’s work on the Accelerator for Multi-Agency Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT-A ) Center. In his new role, Dr Aylward will drive the Organization’s agenda to make primary health care central to universal health coverage, as well as oversee WHO’s work on health systems, immunization and reproductive health, maternal and child Dr. Aylward has a medical degree and a master’s degree in public health.

• Dr Hanan Balkhy he will continue as Deputy Director General of Antimicrobial Resistance. Dr. Balkhy provides technical and political leadership to curb the health and economic burdens of drug resistance, including through multisectoral collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health, and the Program of United Nations for the Environment. Before joining WHO, Dr. Balkhy was Executive Director of Infection Prevention and Control at the Ministry of the National Guard of Saudi Arabia. Dr. Balkhy has a medical degree specializing in pediatric infectious diseases.

• Dr. Catharina Boehme he will become Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Governance effective May 4, 2023. In this role, Dr. Boehme will lead WHO’s strategic engagement in the areas of governance, resource mobilization, and partner relations. His portfolio will include critical member state processes such as negotiating a pandemic deal, reforming the governance of the WHO, and implementing recommendations on sustainable financing. Dr. Boehme has served as Chief of Staff to the Director General, during which time she has driven the leadership’s strategic vision, ensuring alignment across the Organization and with Member States and partners. She joined WHO in 2021, having served as executive director of FIND, the international alliance for diagnostics. Dr. Boehme has a medical degree and diplomas in public health and management.

• Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu He will continue as Deputy Director General of the Health Emergencies Surveillance and Intelligence Systems Division in the Emergency Program. As part of his portfolio, Dr. Ihekweazu leads the WHO Epidemic and Pandemic Intelligence Center, which brings together partners to address future pandemic and epidemic risks with improved data access, analytical capabilities, and decision-making tools. decisions. Prior to joining WHO, Dr. Ihekweazu was the first Director General of the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC), from 2016 to 2021. Dr. Ihekweazu has a medical degree, specializing in infectious disease epidemiologist and a master’s degree in public health. .

• Dr Michael Ryan he will continue as Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program. Dr Ryan has been managing health emergencies at WHO for the past 25 years and most recently led WHO’s emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He leads WHO’s response to disease outbreaks, humanitarian crises, and other public health emergencies. Dr. Ryan is a founding member of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), which has helped respond to hundreds of disease outbreaks around the world. Dr. Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in medicine and a master’s degree in public health.

• Mr. Raul Thomas He will continue as Deputy Director General of Commercial Operations. Mr Thomas has overall responsibility for WHO’s business functions, including budget, finance, human resources, administration, audit, risk management, accountability and compliance, and general management . He is responsible for implementing many of the initiatives under the Organization’s transformation agenda and for creating a respectful and inclusive workplace. During his 20 years of employment with WHO, Mr. Thomas has worked in the Africa, Americas, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific regions, as well as with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Mr. Thomas has a master’s degree in organizational management and a bachelor’s degree in business administration.