The director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, has presented her proposed platform for the next five years.
The Dominican-born health expert will assume another five-year term on February 1, 2018, as director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau (PASB) following her formal election at the 29th Pan American Sanitary Conference to be held in Washington DC from September 25-29.
Etienne has been PASB Director since February 1, 2013, and according to the PAHO Constitution, she can be re-elected for a second five-year term.
PAHO said her candidacy was the only one that was presented by member states when they met on Friday, June 30.
President of the PAHO Executive Committee, Ruben A. Nieto, of Argentina, moderated the forum on Friday, during which Etienne “presented her platform, her policy priorities and the financial and programmatic direction she proposed for the organization”.
Etienne made a 30-minute oral presentation, which was followed by an hour question-and-answer session with member states, in accordance with the rules governing the election of the director.
Etienne was elected PAHO director by member states of the organization on September 19, 2012, and began her five-year term on February 1, 2013.
From March 2008 until November 1, 2012, she served as Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Services at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Prior to that, she led five technical areas: Health Systems and Services; Technology, Health Care and Research; Health Surveillance and Disease Management; Family and Community Health; and Sustainable Development and Environmental Health.
During her tenures at WHO and PAHO, Etienne led the efforts to renew primary health care and to strengthen health systems, based on primary health care, promoting integration and improved functioning of health systems.
