Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and WHO Regional Director for the Americas, serving a term from 2023 to 2028. He is a public health physician and epidemiologist with extensive national and international experience in public health, health surveillance, applied epidemiology, disease prevention and control, and health systems management.
He holds a medical degree from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), specializations in Public Health and Epidemiology from the National School of Public Health (ENSP/Fiocruz), a Master’s degree in Medical Sciences from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), and a PhD in Public Health from the same institution.
He has an extensive career in public health administration in Brazil, having served as Municipal and State Health Secretary in Pernambuco, Director of the National Center of Epidemiology (Cenepi/Funasa), Secretary of Health Surveillance, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Health, and Secretary of Science, Technology and Strategic Inputs.
At the international level, he has held leadership positions at PAHO/WHO, including Director of the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and Deputy Director of PAHO. He has also represented Brazil in governing bodies of PAHO and WHO, contributing to global committees on surveillance, pandemic preparedness, and disease control.
Throughout his career, he has received several academic and institutional distinctions, including Honorary Doctorates from the Federal University of Pernambuco and Fiocruz, as well as recognition as an Honorary Member of the National Academy of Medicine. He is the author and co-author of numerous scientific publications in public health, epidemiology, and health management.
