25th March, 2010
Dr Teguest Guerma, an Ethiopian national with an extensive career in public health has joined AMREF as Director General.
AMREF International Board Chair, Dr Pascoal Mocumbi said, “I would like to welcome Dr Guerma to the AMREF family and the Board looks forward to supporting her role as the new Director General of AMREF. We have no doubt that AMREF staff will continue with their excellent work and give their support to the incoming Director General.”
Dr Guerma, who was previously the Associate Director of HIV/AIDS for the World Health Organisation (WHO) began her career as a medical practitioner in Burundi in the mid-1980s. Along with her wider public health work, she has been involved in the fight against AIDS throughout her career.
Distinguished Career
After joining WHO in 1989, Dr Guerma served at country and regional levels and also at the organisation’s Headquarters in Geneva. Her experience included stints in Congo, Nepal and Botswana, where she was the Country Representative. Whilst in Botswana she was instrumental in putting HIV/AIDS on the Government agenda and helped establish the National AIDS Council.
As the Representative at the UN Headquarters in New York, Dr Guerma led a variety of new initiatives to promote awareness of African health issues in the UN and the greater New York area, including resource mobilisation in collaboration with partners from private sector.
Since 2004, Dr Guerma has served as the Associate Director of the HIV/AIDS Department at WHO Geneva where she co-led the 3x5 initiative and has also spent a sustained period as Acting Head of the Department. Her experience in global public health will add great value to AMREF’s already illustrious reputation as a leading African health and development organisation.
Dr Guerma said: “I am very pleased to come back to Africa and will do my very best to make a difference in the health of Africans .To achieve this objective I will count very much on the support of the whole AMREF family.”
At the same time, the AMREF Board Chair thanked the outgoing Director General, Dr Michael Smalley, upon his completion of the maximum two terms as Director General.
“Michael has led and significantly grown AMREF and its influence during the last eight years, and we wish him well with his future endeavours,” he said.
| For further information please contact, Bob Kioko – AMREF Director of Communications, on +254 20 6993111 or Cell: +254 735 546440, email: bob.kioko@amref.org |
