Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Tigrinya: ቴዎድሮስ አድሓኖም ገብረኢየሱስ, sometimes spelt ቴድሮስ ኣድሓኖም ገብረየሱስ;[1][a] born 3 March 1965)[2] is an Ethiopian[2] public health official, researcher,[3] diplomat, and the Director-General of the World Health Organization since 2017.[4][5] Tedros is the first African to become WHO Director-General,[6] receiving an endorsement for the role by the African Union.[7] He played a role in the response to the Ebola virus epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2022–2023 mpox outbreak.
This article is about a person whose name includes a patronymic. The article properly refers to the person by his given name, Tedros, and not as Ghebreyesus.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Berhane Gebre-Christos (acting)
Kebede Tadesse
5
The effects of dams on malaria transmission in Tigray Region, northern Ethiopia, and appropriate control measures (2000)
Prior to serving as Director-General, he held two high-level positions in the government of Ethiopia: Minister of Health from 2005 to 2012[8] and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2016.[9][10] Tedros was included in Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020.[11]
Early life and education[edit]
Tedros was born in Asmara, Ethiopia,[12] to Adhanom Gebreyesus and Melashu Weldegabir. His family originated from the Enderta awrajja of Tigray. Tedros recalled that as a child he was very aware of the suffering and death caused by malaria.[13] His younger brother died at the age of three or four years, possibly of a preventable disease like measles, which Tedros often discusses as a defining personal experience in regards to the need for global healthcare.[6][14]
In 1986, Tedros received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Asmara.[15] He studied at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and was awarded a Master of Science degree in immunology of infectious diseases from the University of London in 1992.[7][16][9] In 2000, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in community health from the University of Nottingham for research on the effects of dams on malaria transmission in the Tigray region.[17]
Early career[edit]
In 1986, after his first degree, Tedros joined the Ethiopian Ministry of Health as a junior public health expert.[9][18]
Tedros joined the Tigray People's Liberation Front.[19]
In 2001, Tedros was appointed head of the Tigray Regional Health Bureau.[9] In 2003, he was appointed a State Minister (deputy minister) for Health, a post he held for just over a year.[20]
Ethiopian politics[edit]
Minister of Health of Ethiopia (2005–2012)[edit]
In October 2005, Tedros was appointed Minister of Health of Ethiopia by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Tigray People's Liberation Front. At this time the Ethiopian health ministry faced challenges that included poverty, poor infrastructure, and a declining global economic situation; Ethiopia employed fewer doctors than the number of Ethiopian doctors working in the Chicago metropolitan area.[21][22] A review published in Global Health Governance considered progress in health indicators during this period to be significant.[23][24][21] The Health Ministry's activities from 2005 to 2008 were supported by US$1.9 billion in development aid, increased focus on links between community and centralized health systems, and less exclusive attention to HIV/AIDS and malaria.[21] Tedros designed the health workforce "flooding" reform strategy that has resulted in the training and deployment of thousands of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technologists and health officers.[25] This program included the construction of 4,000 health centres, trained and deployed more than 30,000 health extension workers, and developed a new cadre of hospital management professionals as part of a Health Extension Program (HEP).[21] A 2011 Demographic Health Survey suggests these efforts reduced Ethiopian infant mortality from 123 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2006 to 88 in 2011.[8][21][24]
As Minister of Health, Tedros formed relationships with figures and organizations including former American president Bill Clinton, his Clinton Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[21] In 2010 the US State Department named Ethiopia as one of the US Global Health Initiative Plus countries, providing the country with greater access to resources for public health projects.[21]
Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Tedros; Alemayehu, Tesfamariam; Bosma, Andrea; Hanna Witten, Karen; Teklehaimanot, Awash (April 1996). "Community participation in malaria control in Tigray region Ethiopia". Acta Tropica. 61 (2): 145–156. :10.1016/0001-706X(95)00107-P. PMID 8740892.
Wikidata ()
doi
Ghebreyesus, T. A; Haile, M.; Witten, K. H; Getachew, A.; Yohannes, A. M; Yohannes, M.; Teklehaimanot, H. D; Lindsay, S. W; Byass, P. (11 September 1999). . BMJ. 319 (7211): 663–666. doi:10.1136/bmj.319.7211.663. PMC 28216. PMID 10480820.
"Incidence of malaria among children living near dams in northern Ethiopia: community based incidence survey"
Feachem, Richard GA; Phillips, Allison A; Hwang, Jimee; Cotter, Chris; Wielgosz, Benjamin; Greenwood, Brian M; Sabot, Oliver; Rodriguez, Mario Henry; Abeyasinghe, Rabindra R; Ghebreyesus, Tedros Adhanom; Snow, Robert W (November 2010). . The Lancet. 376 (9752): 1566–1578. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61270-6. PMC 3044848. PMID 21035842.
"Shrinking the malaria map: progress and prospects"
Shargie, Estifanos Biru; Ngondi, Jeremiah; Graves, Patricia M.; Getachew, Asefaw; Hwang, Jimee; Gebre, Teshome; Mosher, Aryc W.; Ceccato, Pietro; Endeshaw, Tekola; Jima, Daddi; Tadesse, Zerihun; Tenaw, Eskindir; Reithinger, Richard; Emerson, Paul M.; Richards, Frank O.; Ghebreyesus, Tedros Adhanom (2010). . Journal of Tropical Medicine. 2010: 1–12. doi:10.1155/2010/750978. PMC 2948905. PMID 20936103.
"Rapid Increase in Ownership and Use of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets and Decrease in Prevalence of Malaria in Three Regional States of Ethiopia (2006–2007)"
De Cock, Kevin M; El-Sadr, Wafaa M; Ghebreyesus, Tedros A (August 2011). . Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 57: S61–S63. doi:10.1097/QAI.0B013E3182217F00. PMID 21857297. S2CID 41004155.