Margaret Chan

Margaret Chan (born 1947) is a Chinese-Canadian physician, who served as the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) from 2006 to 2017. Chan was the first person from China to head the WHO, and she led the organization through several global health crises, including the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014.

Early life and education[edit | edit source]

Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1947. She earned her medical degree from the University of Western Ontario in Canada and a public health degree from the Singapore National University.

Career[edit | edit source]

Chan joined the Hong Kong Department of Health in 1978, where she rose to the position of Director of Health in 1994. During her tenure, she managed effectively the avian influenza outbreak of H5N1 in Hong Kong in 1997.

In 2003, Chan joined the WHO as Director of the Department for Protection of the Human Environment. In 2005, she was appointed Director of Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Response as well as Representative of the Director-General for Pandemic Influenza.

In 2006, Chan was elected as the Director-General of the WHO, a position she held until 2017. During her tenure, she led the organization through several global health crises, including the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014.

Legacy[edit | edit source]

Chan's tenure at the WHO was marked by significant achievements, but also faced criticism. She was praised for her leadership during the H1N1 and Ebola crises, but also faced criticism for the WHO's slow response to the Ebola outbreak.

References[edit | edit source]

Margaret Chan Resources
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