Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Director-General of the World Health Organization

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been WHO Director-General since May 2017. Born in the Eritrean city of Asmara, Dr Tedros holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Health from the University of Nottingham and a Master of Science (MSc) in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the University of London. Dr Tedros served as Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and as Minister of Health between 2005 and 2016. After taking office as WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros initiated a wide ranging reform of WHO. Under his leadership, WHO achieved gender parity in its senior leadership for the first time. Training and equipping health workers worldwide has been a priority area of his work. Work is ongoing to launch the first WHO Academy, offering new and more effective methods of training in many areas of health to working people. WHO has launched a new Values Charter, which identifies the five key values that define who we are: public service; technical excellence; integrity; collaboration; and compassion. Recognizing health for all requires partnership at all levels, and between all sectors of society, Dr Tedros has worked hard to engage stakeholders from a broad range of sectors, from civil society and government, to the private sector and beyond. Dr Tedros is globally recognized as a health scholar, advocate and diplomat. He has received awards from across the globe. These include a Honorary Fellowship from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2012) and more recently from the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (2020).