Dr Margaret Chan, of China, has taken up her post as Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) following her election in November. Her term of office will run until 30 June 2012.
Dr Chan has set out six priority areas on which she intends to focus the work of WHO: development for health, health security, building the capacity of health systems, developing better information and knowledge, enhancing partnerships and improving the performance of the Organisation.
'I want my leadership to be judged by the impact of our work on the health of two populations: women and the people of Africa,' Dr Chan said. 'WHO has a long history of commitment to those in greatest need, including the most vulnerable groups.'
Dr Chan said one of the key challenges now facing WHO is to 'manage all this vigorous interest in health in ways that ensure lasting improvements and do not overburden recipient countries.' She stressed the need to ensure that the growing number of health initiatives meets comprehensive health needs, in a co-ordinated way, in line with the priorities of countries and their populations.