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

The new appointments follow the re-appointment of Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for his second five-year term as Director-General. The entire 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.

To accelerate progress in implementing WHO’s 13th General Program of Work (GPW13) and achieving its ‘triple billion’ and health-related Sustainable Development Goals, WHO’s work over the next five years is focused on five priorities: creating a paradigm a shift towards health promotion and disease prevention by addressing its root causes; radical reorientation of health systems towards primary health care; strengthening the system for preparedness and response to emergency health situations; harnessing the power of science, innovation, data and technology to improve health; and strengthening WHO as the leading authority on global health and achieving impact in countries.

The headquarters leadership team, consisting of equal numbers of women and men, will work together with WHO regional and country offices.

New members of the headquarters management team:

• Dr. Jeremy Farrar will become WHO’s Chief Scientist from 8 May 2023. Dr Farrar’s appointment was previously announced in December 2022. In this role, Dr Farrar will oversee the Department of Science, bringing together the best experts and networks in science and innovation from around the world to lead, develop and deliver high-quality health policies and services to the people who need them most. Before joining WHO, Dr Farrar was 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 emerging infectious diseases. dr. Farrar is a clinical researcher with a medical degree and Ph.D.

• Dr. Ailan Li will become Associate Director General for 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 that address the environmental, social, and economic determinants of health, including climate change, tobacco control, chemical safety, traffic safety, food systems and nutrition, physical activity, air pollution and radiation, through the One Health approach. dr. Li has served as the WHO Representative to the Kingdom of Cambodia since 15 July 2019. Prior to this role, Dr. Li was the Regional Emergencies Director for the WHO Health Emergencies Program at the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific. Dr. Li has a medical degree and a bachelor’s degree in health social sciences.

• Dr. Yukiko Nakatani 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 norms and policies to ensure equitable access to quality medicines, vaccines and diagnostics for all populations everywhere , including for prevention and response to epidemics. dr. Nakatani was the director of the Cancer and Disease Control Division of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. dr. Nakatani has a medical degree and a doctorate in public health.

• Doctor Razia Pendse he will become Chief of Staff from 4 May 2023. In this role, Dr. Pendse will lead the Office of the Director-General, helping to guide the Organization’s priorities and initiatives, and will ensure alignment within the WHO leadership team and across WHO’s three levels. dr. Pendse works 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. Jerome Solomon will become Assistant Director General for General 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, neglected tropical diseases , mental health, substance abuse disorders and non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancer. dr. Salomon was the Director General of Health at the French Ministry of Health and Prevention. Prior to his appointment, he was a member of the WHO Executive Board and has extensive experience in health systems management, infectious diseases and international public health. dr. Salomon has a bachelor’s degree in medicine, a master’s degree in public health and a doctorate in epidemiology.

Portfolios of the existing members of the management team of the headquarters:

• Dr. Samira Asma he will continue as Assistant General Manager of Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact. dr. Asma oversees a portfolio that ensures health data is reliable, accessible and used to improve health outcomes worldwide, including tracking and accelerating progress towards the three billion and 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 on May 4, 2023, he was appointed Assistant Director General of the Department for Universal Health Coverage, Life Course. dr. Aylward leads WHO’s Transformation Agenda and the Organization’s work on the multi-agency Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A ) Hub. In her new role, Dr Aylward will lead the Organization’s plan to transform primary health care as central to universal health care, as well as oversee WHO’s work on health systems, immunization and reproductive health, maternal and child health. dr. Aylward has a medical degree and a master’s degree in public health.

• Dr. Hanan Balkhy he will continue as Assistant Director General for Antimicrobial Resistance. dr. Balkhy provides technical and policy 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 United Nations Environment Programme. Before joining WHO, Dr. Balkhy was the Executive Director of Infection Prevention and Control at the Ministry of National Guard of Saudi Arabia. dr. Balkhy has a medical degree with specialization in pediatric infectious diseases.

• Dr. Catharina Boehme will become Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Governance from 4 May 2023. In this role, Dr Boehme will lead WHO’s strategic engagement in the areas of governance, resource mobilization and partnerships. Her portfolio will include key member state processes, such as their pandemic agreement negotiations, WHO governance reform and the implementation of recommendations on sustainable financing. dr. Boehme served as Chief of Staff to the Director General during which time she led the strategic vision of leadership, ensuring alignment across the Organization and with Member States and partners. She joined WHO in 2021, after serving as Chief Executive Officer of FIND, the International Diagnostic Alliance. dr. Boehme has a medical degree and degrees in public health and management.

• Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu will continue as Assistant Director General for the Emergency Health Intelligence and Surveillance Systems Division in the Emergency Program. As part of his portfolio, Dr Ihekweazu leads the WHO Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence Hub, bringing together partners to address future pandemic and epidemic risks with better access to data, analytical capacity and decision-making tools. Before joining WHO, Dr. Ihekweazu was the first Director-General of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), from 2016 to 2021. 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 WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme. Dr Ryan has been managing health emergencies at WHO for the past 25 years, most recently leading 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 outbreaks around the world. Dr. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Medicine and a Master of Public Health.

• Mr. Raul Thomas he will continue as assistant general manager for 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 initiatives within the Organization’s transformation agenda and creating a respectful and inclusive workplace. During his 20 years at WHO, Mr. Thomas worked in the Africa, Americas, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific regions, as well as 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.