Profile: Carissa Etienne: Taking the reins at PAHO

摘要

The stars of global health came out in force at the end of January for the inauguration of the new Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). WHO's Director-General Margaret Chan paid tribute to an "experienced leader", while the US Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius lauded an inspirational woman with "a wealth of expertise in tackling many of the most difficult health challenges of our time". The woman they were talking about is Carissa Etienne, a native of the small Caribbean island of Dominica and living proof that, in the words of the Organization of American States Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin, "the size of your country does not always determine the strength of your voice, or your capacity to lead".