Margaret Chan becomes director-general of WHO

Margaret Chan became the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006, making history as the first Chinese national and the second woman to hold the organization's top position. With a background in medicine and public health, Chan brought a wealth of experience from her previous role as Director of Health in Hong Kong, where she notably managed the response to the 1997 H5N1 avian influenza outbreak and the 2003 SARS epidemic. Her leadership during these crises earned her international recognition and set the stage for her tenure at WHO. As Director-General, Chan emphasized the importance of strengthening health systems, reducing health inequalities, and improving responses to global health emergencies. She served two terms, during which she led the organization through significant health challenges, including the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009 and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014. Her tenure highlighted the complex relationship between global health, politics, and economics, and she was known for advocating the idea that health is a fundamental human right. Chan’s leadership played a key role in shaping WHO’s modern approach to global health governance. \#MomentsOfLife #MoofLife\_Moment #MoofLife #MargaretChan #WHODirectorGeneral #GlobalHealthLeadership #WomenInLeadership #PublicHealthHistory