WASHINGTON, CMC – Antigua and Barbuda-born citizen Dr. Rhonda Sealey-Thomas has been sworn in as the brand new Assistant Director of the Pan American Well being Group (PAHO), Regional Workplace for the Americas of the World Well being Group (WHO).
Dr. Sealey-Thomas holds a Bachelor of Medication, a Bachelor of Surgical procedure diploma, a Grasp of Public Well being, and a Doctorate in Public Well being from the College of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.
She has labored for the Ministry of Well being in Antigua and Barbuda for over 25 years, lately serving as Chief Medical Officer from 2005-2023.
PAHO mentioned in her new post-Dr. Sealey-Thomas might be a part of PAHO’s government administration group, together with PAHO Director, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Deputy Director Mary-Lou Valdez, and Director of Administration Mrs. Kristan Beck.
“Dr. Sealey-Thomas is aware of, understands, and shares this nice group’s values and mission. Certainly, her entire life’s work displays these values of fairness, excellence, solidarity, respect, and integrity,” mentioned PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, including,” The group is sort of lucky to have her at this significant time.”
In her handle to the ceremony, the brand new assistant director highlighted the first well being challenges the area of the Americas should face over the following few years, together with non-communicable ailments, local weather change, the flexibility to have resilient methods, and the pressing have to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response.
“A wealth of information, expert personnel, studying establishments, and different entities bind us collectively. It’s my aspiration that in my tenure, we work even nearer as a Area consistent with PAHO’s worth of solidarity,” Dr. Sealey-Thomas mentioned as she expressed her dedication to work with Dr. Barbosa to help his imaginative and prescient for the way forward for PAHO and the area of the Americas.
Antigua and Barbuda Well being, Wellness & the Atmosphere Minister, Sir Molwyn Joseph, underscored the “pivotal position” PAHO has performed and “should proceed to play” within the area and welcomed Dr. Sealey-Thomas’ appointment “due to our deep information of her capability to carry out efficiently and each confidence in her capacity to strengthen the PAHO group.”
PAHO mentioned that Dr. Sealey-Thomas will oversee the departments of Communicable Ailments, Prevention, Management, and Elimination; Social and Environmental Determinants for Well being Fairness; Proof and Intelligence for Motion in Well being; Well being Programs and Companies; Innovation, Entry to Medicines and Well being Applied sciences; and Noncommunicable Ailments Prevention and Psychological Well being; in addition to the Particular Packages on Complete Immunization and the Regional Revolving Funds.
As well as, three PAHO/WHO technical facilities are beneath her duty: the Pan American Heart for Foot-and-Mouth Illness and Veterinary Public Well being (PANAFTOSA), the Latin American Heart for Perinatology, Ladies and Reproductive Well being (CLAP/WR), and the Latin American and Caribbean Heart on Well being Sciences Info (BIREME).
” Please be assured that I embark on this journey with humility, dedication, and compassion. Allow us to all keep in mind that our collective efforts are the driving power behind constructing more healthy, extra resilient, and extra equitable societies all through the Americas,” she added.
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