People in global health news - February 2023

University of Global Health Equity names Jim Yong Kim Chancellor

Dr. Jim Yong Kim, a Partners in Health (PIH) co-founder, was named chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, a role previously held by the late Dr. Paul Farmer. Kim previously served as president of the World Bank Group, president of Dartmouth College, and Director of the WHO HIV/AIDS department.

WHO welcomes new chief scientist and nursing officer

Current Wellcome Trust Director Dr. Jeremy Farrar has been named chief scientist at WHO. Farrar, a clinical scientist, previously served as director of the Clinical Research Unit at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Vietnam prior to his role at Wellcome , where he has expanded the organization's global health outlook.

 Dr. Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu has been named WHO's chief nursing officer. Tuipulotu was the Kingdom of Tonga's first female Minister for Health and the first Tongan to receive a Ph.D. in nursing. In her new role, she will champion nurses and midwives to ensure their experience is utilized in strengthening global health systems.

Del Rio to serve as interim dean at Emory

Internationally known epidemiologist Dr. Carlos del Rio is serving as interim dean for the Emory University School of Medicine and interim chief academic officer for Emory Healthcare. For more than two decades, del Rio has worked with marginalized populations to improve clinical care and outcomes in the U.S. and abroad.

Fogarty grantee joins JID editorial board

Dr. Igho Ofotokun of Emory University School of Medicine has been added to the Journal of Infectious Disease (JID) editorial board. Ofotokun currently serves as principal investigator on the Fogarty-funded Emory-Nigeria HIV Research Training Program. JID is the official journal of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Peace Corps confirms Spahn

Dr. Carol Spahn has been officially confirmed as Peace Corps director. Acting director since 2021, Spahn has focused the agency's efforts on continuing to return volunteers to service abroad after the pandemic. Previously, she served as the Peace Corps chief of operations in the Eastern and Southern Africa region and as country director of Peace Corps/Malawi.

Ugandan research physician receives James Hakim award

Dr. Angel Nanteza, a research physician at Uganda's Butabika Mental Health Hospital, was named the recipient of the 2023 James G. Hakim Global Health Award for submitting the highest-ranked abstract to the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) annual meeting. The award—established by Fogarty, CUGH, and AFREhealth in 2021—will provide travel support to CUGH meetings.

Fiocruz director takes the helm as Brazil's health minister

Dr. Nisia Trindade-Lima, former director of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), is now the first woman to lead the Health Ministry in Brazilian history. During her tenure as Director at Fiocruz, Trindade-Lima managed the construction of a reference hospital center for COVID-19 treatment and research, the development of tests to identify coronavirus variants, and epidemiological support.