Mirta Roses Periago is an

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases. It is a cornerstone ...

who served as Director of the

Pan American Health Organization The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) in charge of international health cooperation in the Americas. It fosters technical cooperation among member countries to fight communicable and non ...

(PAHO) from 2003 until 2013.

Education

Roses Periago received a medical degree in 1969 from

Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

, Argentina, and additional qualifications in

tropical medicine Tropical medicine is an interdisciplinary branch of medicine that deals with health issues that occur uniquely, are more widespread, or are more difficult to control in tropical and subtropical regions. Physicians in this field diagnose and tr ...

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

, and epidemiology at other institutions in Argentina. Her graduate studies also include a diploma in public health (1974) and a specialization in epidemiology (1982) at the Escuela de Salud Pública in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as the specialist degree in clinical medicine and epidemiology of infectious diseases at the

Universidad de Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821, the UBA has educa ...

, in 1976.

Career

Roses Periago took office as director of PAHO on February 1, 2003, for an initial five-year term, the first woman to head the organization as well as the first female Regional Director of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

; she was re-elected in 2007. After the end of her second term, she retired and returned to Buenos Aires. Roses Periago also serves on the '' Lancet''-O'Neill Institute Georgetown University Commission on Global Health and Law. In early 2020, WHO Director General

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (, sometimes spelled ; born 3 March 1965) is an Ethiopian public health official, researcher, diplomat, and the DGWHO, Director-General of the World Health Organization since 2017. He is the first African to become W ...

appointed her as one of his six special envoys on

Coronavirus disease 2019 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include f ...

(COVID-19) to provide strategic advice and high-level political advocacy.

Other activities

* Gulbenkian Global Mental Health Platform, Member of the Advisory Committee *

Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a collaborative, patients' needs-driven, non-profit drug research and development (R&D) organization that is developing new treatments for neglected tropical diseases, neglected diseases, notab ...

(DNDi), Member of the Friends of DNDi *

Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases is an advocacy initiative of the Sabin Vaccine Institute dedicated to raising the awareness, political will, and funding necessary to control and eliminate the most common Neglected Tropical Disea ...

, Special Ambassador *

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (or simply the Global Fund) is an international financing and partnership organization that aims to "attract, leverage and invest additional resources to end the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tu ...

, Alternate Member of the Board (representing the Latin American and Caribbean group) *

Global Polio Eradication Initiative The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is an initiative created in 1988, just after the World Health Assembly resolved to eradicate the disease poliomyelitis. Led by the World Health Organization, it is the largest international public health ...

(GPEI), Member of the Polio Transition Independent Monitoring Board (TIMB) * Mundo Sano, Member of the Advisory Board * RBM Partnership To End Malaria, Member of the BoardBoard
RBM Partnership To End Malaria. * German Ministry of Health, Member of the International Advisory Board on Global Health (2018-2019)

Recognition

Awards

Roses Periago's many awards include Civil Order of Health (Spain); Order of Health Public, the Order of Marshall Santa Cruz (Armed Forces), the Agricultural Medal of Merit, and the Order of Bolívar the Liberator (Bolivia); Decoration of Merit in Public Health and Honorato Vásquez National Order (Ecuador); José de Marcoleta Order and the Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Order of Freedom (Nicaragua); and

Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella The Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella (''Orden al Mérito de Duarte, Sánchez y Mella'') is the principal order of the Dominican Republic. It was established on 24 February 1931 as the ''Juan Pablo Duarte Order of Merit'' (''Orden al M ...

(Dominican Republic). In 2003

Konex Foundation Konex Foundation (''Fundación Konex'') is an Argentine cultural non-profit organization created in 1980 "to promote, stimulate, help, and participate in any form of cultural, educational, intellectual, artistic, social, philanthropic, scientific ...

from Argentina granted her the Diamond

Konex Award Konex Foundation Awards, or simply Konex Awards, are cultural awards from the Konex Foundation honouring Argentine cultural personalities. History and purpose Konex Awards are granted by the Konex Foundation, created in 1980 in Argentina. The p ...

, one of the most prestigious awards in Argentina, as the most important Scientific in the last decade in his country.

Honorary degrees

Roses Periago has been awarded honorary professorships at the Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública in Granada, Spain; the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Bolivia; the Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial, Ecuador; the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua en León; the Universidad de San Marcos, Peru; and the

Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo The Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) () is a public university system in Dominican Republic, with its flagship campus in Ciudad Universitaria (lit. University City) neighborhood of Santo Domingo and regional campuses in many citi ...

, the Dominican Republic. She has also received honorary doctorates from the

, Argentina; the

Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana The Metropolitan Autonomous University ( Spanish: ''Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana'') also known as UAM, is a Mexican public research university. Founded in 1974 with the support of then-President Luis Echeverria Alvarez, the institution a ...

, Mexico; the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua en León; the

Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia Cayetano Heredia University (, UPCH; or simply ''Cayetano Heredia'') is a private nonprofit university located in Lima, Peru. It was named in honor of Cayetano Heredia, one of the eminent Peruvian physicians of the 19th century. The universit ...

, and the Universidad Central del Este, Dominican Republic.

References

External links

Pan American Health Organization: Dr. Mirta Roses Periago
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roses Periago, Mirta Argentine public health doctors Women public health doctors Living people Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella Year of birth missing (living people)