Professor Pedro Alonso, new director of the Global Malaria Programme of the World Health Organization

Dr Alonso is professor from the Department of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona (UB) and director general of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
Dr Alonso is professor from the Department of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona (UB) and director general of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
Institutional
(30/07/2014)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has appointed Dr Pedro Alonso as director of its Global Malaria Programme. Dr Alonso is professor from the Department of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine of he University of Barcelona (UB), director general of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and head of the International Health and Tropical Medicine Unit at the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona.

Dr Alonso is professor from the Department of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona (UB) and director general of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
Dr Alonso is professor from the Department of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona (UB) and director general of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
Institutional
30/07/2014

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has appointed Dr Pedro Alonso as director of its Global Malaria Programme. Dr Alonso is professor from the Department of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine of he University of Barcelona (UB), director general of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and head of the International Health and Tropical Medicine Unit at the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona.

 

Dr Pedro Alonso will take up his position at WHO headquarters in Geneva in October. This appointment to one of the most important posts at the United Nations health agency recognises the work he has developed in the field of global health at ISGlobal.
 
Dr Alonsoʼs experience and leadership in the field of malaria, and particularly in the elimination of the disease, crucially influenced his appointment. His career in international health began over 25 years ago and some of his most important work has been focused on developing new tools for the prevention and treatment of malaria. In 2011, he joined the WHO Malaria Policy Advisory Committee and he was elected chair of the Scientific Committee in charge of developing a global technical strategy for malaria.
 
Since WHO is currently developing a new strategy for the control and elimination of malaria over the next ten years, Dr Alonso is a natural choice to lead the implementation of this programme. In his reaction to the news, Dr Alonso affirmed: “It is an honour to be appointed by Dr Margaret Chan to take charge of the WHO Global Malaria Programme. With the support of many institutions and the leaders of the countries where the disease is endemic, I am sure that the world can make steady progress toward the eradication of malaria. I am very grateful for this unique opportunity to take part in this undertaking”.
 
In 1996, with the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development (AECID), Dr Alonso set up the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM) in Mozambique, one of the major success stories of Spanish cooperation in health in sub-Saharan Africa. CISMʼs contributions to health research in poor countries have had global impact, for instance its work on the malaria vaccine. The centre received the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in 2008.
 
ISGlobal
 
The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) is the result of an innovative partnership between academic, government and philanthropic institutions that was set up to further the work undertaken by the international community to meet the challenges posed by health in a globalised world. ISGlobal forms the nexus of a hub of excellence dedicated to research, training and medical care that emerged from an initiative of the University of Barcelona and the Hospital Clínic and is now building on those beginnings to expand its capabilities. The goal of ISGlobalʼs current project portfolio is to reduce health inequities that affect many populations all over the world.
 
The strategy for the elimination of malaria has been a priority at ISGlobal since the instituteʼs creation through an initiative of the Obra Social La Caixa in 2010. ISGlobal has played a leading role in major initiatives in this area, including the Malaria Eradication Research Agenda (malERA) and the Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance (MESA). In 2013, ISGlobal was designated an official WHO Collaborating Centre for Malaria Control, Elimination and Eradication in recognition of its important role in the field.