China press releases

WHO welcomes new Representative in China

10 October 2009

BEIJING – The World Health Organization (WHO) is pleased to announce the arrival of Dr Michael O'Leary as its new Representative in China.

Dr O'Leary arrived in Beijing this week, and paid a courtesy call on Dr Ren Minghui, the Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation at China's Ministry of Health on Friday.

An American citizen, Dr O'Leary obtained his Masters of Public Health (International Health) and Doctor of Medicine from the University of Hawaii and Minnesota respectively. He joined the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1984, and has worked with the World Health Organization since 1990.

For 20 years, he worked extensively as an epidemiologist for communicable diseases, including sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS, in Pacific islands such as Guam, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

Dr O'Leary served as the WHO Representative in Cambodia for nearly four years before taking up his new appointment in China this month. He replaces Dr Hans Troedsson, who left Beijing in late August for a position at WHO's Western Pacific Regional Office in Manila.

With more than 60 staff members, WHO China is among the largest WHO offices in the region. The organization has been providing technical support to the Chinese government for nearly 30 years, working with national counterparts in the areas:

Healthcare systems development
Expanded programme on immunization
Tuberculosis control
HIV/AIDS control
Maternal and child health
Food safety
Tobacco control
Non-communicable diseases control
Environmental health, and 
Communicable diseases surveillance and response
For more information, please contact:

Vivian Tan

Communications Officer
WHO China
Mobile: +86 139 1120 5167
Office: +86 10 6532-7191, ext 81275
Fax: +86 10 6532-2359
Email: tanv@wpro.who.int