The WHO’s 152nd Executive Board has appointed Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr. as Regional Director for the Americas effective February 1, 2023.
A national of Brazil, Dr. Barbosa da Silva Jr. was elected as Director of the Pan American Health Organization, which is also WHO’s Regional Office for the Americas, by PAHO Member States in September 2022 during the 30th Pan American Sanitary Conference in Washington D.C.
He succeeds Dr. Carissa F. Etienne of Dominica, who has led the organization since 2012.
Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr. received his medical degree from the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil, and specialized in public health and epidemiology at the National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) in Rio de Janeiro. He holds a master’s degree in medical sciences and a PhD in public health from the University of Campinas in São Paulo.
Dr. Barbosa joined PAHO in 2007 as Area Manager for Health Surveillance and Disease Management, responsible for coordinating regional activities.
In 2011, he rejoined Brazil’s Ministry of Health and later served as Director-President of the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) from 2015-2018.
