Decolonizing Global Health
Ba and Mbaye: Thank you, Dr Fall, for accepting this interview. The first question is about your career trajectory: how does one become Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO…
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Colonel Doctor Ibrahima Socé Fall, born on February 8, 1966, in Dakar, is the Deputy Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) responsible for emergency response and the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. He holds a medical doctorate, a Master’s in Public Health from Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD), and a Doctorate in Public Health from both UCAD and Tulane University in the USA, as well as a Master’s in Sustainable Development from Tulane University. Additionally, he has a University Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Epidemiology from Aix-Marseille University and the French Army's Tropical Medicine Institute (IMTSSA Pharo).
Dr. Fall’s team received the WHO Director-General's Excellence Medal in 2017. That same year, he was honored with the "African Heroes Award 2017" by the Department of African Studies and the African Student Association at Ohio University, USA, for his contribution to the fight against Ebola in Africa. He was also admitted as a fellow of the Royal College of Medicine in the United Kingdom for his public health contributions.
Before his current role, Dr. Fall served as the WHO Regional Director for Health Security and Emergency Situations in Africa. He was the WHO Representative in Mali before being appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon as the head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) in November 2014. Following his successful efforts to control the Ebola outbreak in Mali, he assumed his new role in March 2015 at the WHO Regional Office, tasked with ending the Ebola virus outbreak in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
Dr. Fall is recognized as a global expert in epidemic response and has played a significant role in reforming the WHO’s work in emergency situations, from design to implementation. He also served as WHO Regional Advisor for Strategic Planning in the fight against malaria and as the focal point for global strategic planning for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. He coordinated capacity strengthening for countries to secure funding from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
Dr. Fall was initially seconded to the WHO as coordinator for inter-country malaria control teams in Africa after serving as a consultant for the organization on several occasions. He was part of the expert group that led to the introduction of the “Roll Back Malaria” initiative launched in 1998 by WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and UNDP. Dr. Fall is co-author of over 100 articles and book chapters published by WHO and in leading medical journals such as The Lancet, Nature, and The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
Ba and Mbaye: Thank you, Dr Fall, for accepting this interview. The first question is about your career trajectory: how does one become Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO…
READ MORE