Margaret Chan

Margaret Chan, MD, DSc, FFPHM, MScPH, from the People’s Republic of China, obtained her medical degree from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. She joined the Hong Kong Department of Health in 1978, where her career in public health began. In 1994, Chan was appointed director of health of Hong Kong. In her 9-year tenure as director, she launched new services to prevent the spread of disease and promote better health and introduced new initiatives to improve communicable disease surveillance and response, enhance training for public health professionals, and establish better local and international collaboration. She effectively managed outbreaks of avian influenza and of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In 2003, Chan joined the World Health Organization as director of the Department for Protection of the Human Environment and subsequently was appointed director of communicable diseases surveillance and response, representative of the director-general for pandemic influenza, and assistant director-general for communicable diseases. Chan was elected to the post of director-general on November 9, 2006. The Assembly appointed Chan for a second 5-year term at its 65th session in May 2012. Chan’s term will continue until June 30, 2017.