Dr. Margaret Chan

Director-General, World Health Organization

Dr Margaret Chan is the Director-General of WHO, appointed by the World Health Assembly on 9 November 2006.

Before being appointed Director-General, Dr Chan was WHO Assistant Director-General for Communicable Diseases as well as Representative of the Director-General for Pandemic Influenza.

Prior to joining WHO, she was Director of Health in Hong Kong. During her nine-year tenure as director, Dr Chan confronted the first human outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in 1997. She successfully defeated the spate of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong in 2003. She also launched new services to prevent disease and promote better health.

Associated Sessions

Morning Plenary - Girls and Women: Joining Forces to Get the Best Results