Dr Carissa Etienne, former Director of PAHO passes

Dr Carissa Etienne, former Director of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Director for the Americas died on December 1.

The 71-year-old from Dominica passed away in the United States in the early hours of Friday morning.

Dr Etienne reportedly collapsed in her bathroom during the night and was rushed to hospital by ambulance where she died a short time later.

Dr Etienne served as Director of PAHO and Regional Director of the WHO for the Americas from February 2013 to January 2023.

“Carissa was a dear friend and colleague, and under her steadfast leadership and guidance, PAHO achieved significant milestones for the region of the Americas while facing one of our greatest public health challenges with COVID-19,” PAHO Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa said. “I am very saddened by her passing, and my thoughts are with her family, friends and all of us at PAHO who cared deeply for her.”

During Dr Etienne’s tenure, PAHO led the response to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic in the region of the Americas, as well as efforts to control Zika and chikungunya epidemics and cholera and yellow fever outbreaks in Haiti and Brazil, while significantly improving the Organization’s response to emergencies and disasters within 48 hours.

Under her leadership, the Americas eliminated the endemic transmission of measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome, and made considerable strides in the prevention and control of chronic non-communicable diseases. Legislative and regulatory mechanisms gained traction, as countries enacted legislation on the labelling of food products and introduced taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages.

Advances were also made in strengthening national health systems and in progress toward universal health. In the last five years of Dr Etienne’s mandate, deliveries by skilled birth attendants increased from 95 per cent to nearly 100 per cent and, for the first time, the Region of the Americas reached the recommended target of 25 physicians and nurses per 10,000 people.

Prior to becoming PAHO Director, from March 2008 to November 2012, Dr Etienne served as Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Services at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Before that, she served as Assistant Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau from July 2003 to February 2008, where she led five technical areas: Health Systems and Services; Technology, Health Care, and Research; Health Surveillance and Disease Management; Family and Community Health; and Sustainable Development and Environmental Health.

During her tenure at both WHO and PAHO, Dr Etienne directed efforts to renew and strengthen health systems based on primary health care. She has also spearheaded policies for reducing health inequalities increasing people-centred care and integrating health into broader public policies.

“We have lost a great public health champion,” Dr Barbosa said. “Dr Etienne’s invaluable experience will be sorely missed in global health discussions to improve the lives of people and to ensure better preparedness for global health emergencies.”

Dr Etienne began her career in her native Dominica as a medical officer at the Princess Margaret Hospital and was later appointed as the Chief Medical Officer of that country.

She has also served in other high-level posts in Dominica, including as Director of Primary Health Care Services, Coordinator of the National AIDS Program, Disaster Coordinator for the Ministry of Health, and Chair of the National Advisory Council for HIV/AIDS.

Dr Etienne received her medical degree (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery-MBBS) from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, and her Master of Science Degree (MSc) in Community Health in Developing Countries from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London.