A Tanzanian appointed as Assistant Director

General of the World Health Organization

The Director General of the World Health Organization
(WHO), Dr Margaret Chan has appointed Dr Winnie
Mpanju-Shumbusho from the United Republic of
Tanzania as the Assistant Director General of the World
Health Organization. Dr Mpanju-Shumbusho will lead the
W.H.O. Cluster of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria,
Neglected Tropical Diseases Cluster and related Global
Partnerships, with effect from 01 June 2015. The
appointment was announced officially around the World
Health Assembly 68th session taking place on 18 to 26
May 2015, in Geneva, Switzerland. In this capacity Dr
Mpanju-Shumbusho will lead the World Health
Organizations work with countries to prevent, control
and mitigate the impact of these diseases, thus
contributing to development and achievement of the
Millennium Development and post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.
Dr Mpanju-Shumbusho has more than 30 years experience in key senior leadership positions in health,
public health, international cooperation and academia.Before this appointment, she was the Director of the
Office of the Assistant Director General, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases,
World Health Organization; as well as the Director of the WHOs Partnership and Technical Cooperation with
the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Under her leadership, WHO has assisted developing
countries world-wide (particularly high disease burden countries) to access funding of more than 10 Billion
USDfrom the Global Fund, to support their national Programmes to combat HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria; including scaling up treatment and prevention programmes, health systems strengthening and
improving reproductive, maternal and child health.
Prior to that, Dr Mpanju-Shumbusho served as the Director of the World Health Organizations HIV/AIDS &
STIs Programme, during which she led the development of the first-ever Global Health Sector Strategy for
HIV/ADS; and the development of the first-ever Guidelines for Use of Antiretroviral Therapy in Low Resource
settings; was co-founder of the WHO 3by5 Initiative on Scaling Up Access to HIV/AIDS Treatment in
developing countries (particularly high disease burden low income countries); oversaw the mainstreaming of
the HIV/AIDS throughout WHO; and led WHOs consultations and inputs viz-a-viz the 2001 UN General
Assembly Special Session Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and Health Millennium Development
Goals.
Before that Dr Mpanju-Shumbusho served as the Director General of the Commonwealth Regional Health
Community Secretariat for East, Central and Southern AfricaSecretariat (CRHCS-ECSA) based in Arusha,
Tanzania, during which she led the development of the first-ever CRHC-ECSA Strategic Plan, mobilized
resources to address the Regions public health priorities, led South-to-South collaboration programmes to
address regional and cross-border public health priorities, including health workers capacity building,
sharing of expertise and translation of research findings into policy and programmatic actions.
Dr Mpanju-Shumbusho also served as the Head and Senior Lecturer, Community Health Department,
University of Dar-es-salaam (UDSM) Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences (MUCHS); Consultant
Paediatrician and Senior Lecturer in Paediatrics and Child Health, UDSM-MUCHS and Muhimbili University
Teaching Hospital, during which she was also Chief Public Health Adviser to the Tanzania Ministry of Health
on Communicable Diseases Control and Immunization, Health Systems Management, Reproductive, Maternal
and Child Health, Human Nutrition and Environmental Health.
Dr Mpanju-Shumbusho has served as a member of various international and national boards, including the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Board; the Tanzania National Urban Water Authority
Board, AHEAD Board; and a member of various expert committees.
Dr Mpanju-Shumbusho is a holder of a Doctor Of Medicine (MD) Degree from the University of Dar-es-salaam;
a Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree from Tulane University, New Orleans, USA; and a Master of Medicine
(M.MED) Degree in Paediatrics and Child Health, from the University of Dar-es-salaam.

She has won several leadership, humanitarian and academic awards, including the Hubert H. Humphrey
North-South Professional Award; the AHEAD Humanitarian Award; the East Africa Academy Award; and the
Ford Foundation Women Advancement Fellowship award.
Dr Mpanju-Shumbusho is married, with a daughter and a son.