Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and esteemed SSHSPH alumna, will be officially stepping down after serving the Organization for 10 years. Her successor Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from Ethiopia will take office on 1 July 2017.
WHO has also published a Ten Years in Public Health 2007 – 2017 report chronicling the evolution of global public health over the past decade during Dr Chan’s tenure. The report opens with a letter from her reflecting on the highlights and challenges over the last 10 years, and lessons learnt for building a better, healthier future for the world.
Prior to her appointment to the post of Director-General on 09 November 2006, she was appointed Director, Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Response as well as Representative of the Director-General for Pandemic Influenza in June 2005, and subsequently named Assistant Director-General for Communicable Diseases in September the same year. Earlier than that, she joined WHO as Director of the Department for Protection of the Human Environment in 2003.
Even before joining WHO, Dr Chan has already earned her stellar reputation as one of the world’s most visionary and experienced public health crisis managers. During her nine-year tenure (1994 – 2003) as Director of Health of Hong Kong, she launched new services to prevent the spread of disease and promote better health. She also introduced new initiatives to improve communicable disease surveillance and response, enhance training for public health professionals, and establish better local and international collaboration
The H5N1 avian influenza outbreak and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Hong Kong in 1997 and in 2003 respectively demonstrated her outstanding leadership in combating the threat posed by new and emerging infectious disease. The 1997 H5N1 avian influenza outbreak—the world’s first outbreak affecting both poultry and humans—in particularly demonstrated Dr Chan’s decisive leadership, including the decision to cull about 1.5 million poultry, effectively curbed the spread to other countries. This were to later set the global standard for avian influenza control. She also effectively managed the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong in 2003.
Her work and tireless efforts in advancing public health has been recognized and appreciated internationally including, being awarded an OBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1997. And in 1999, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, conferred on her the Prince Mahidol Award in the field of public health for her leadership in the control of the outbreak of avian influenza in Hong Kong.
In 2014, she was ranked as the 30th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
In her parting words, Dr Chan reminds us that “In a world facing considerable uncertainty, international health development is a unifying – and uplifting – force for the good of humanity.” Indeed, she will remain an inspiration to the School to strive forward improving the health and lives of populations around the world.
We wish Dr Margaret Chan the very best in her future endeavors.