Bahamas’ Dr. Merceline Dahl-Regis receives WHO Global Health Leaders Award

Bahamian public health leader Dr. Merceline Dahl-Regis has been awarded the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General’s Global Health Leaders Award in recognition of her decades-long contribution to public health in the Americas and globally.

The award was presented during the high-level opening of the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79), where Dr. Dahl-Regis was honored alongside other global health figures for outstanding service to international health. The ceremony was attended by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and President of the Republic of Ghana H.E. John Dramani Mahama, who participated in the presentation.

Dr. Dahl-Regis has played a central role in advancing disease elimination efforts, immunization programmes, maternal and child health, and primary health care across the Region of the Americas. A longtime collaborator with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), she is widely recognized for her leadership in the regional verification process that helped make the Americas the first region in the world declared free of measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome.

Throughout her career, she has also championed equitable access to health services and strengthened regional cooperation in public health. As Chief Medical Officer of The Bahamas, she led initiatives focused on adolescent health and maternal and child care, while contributing to regional efforts aimed at eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described her as “a distinguished public health leader whose lifelong commitment to improving health has transformed lives across the Americas and beyond,” crediting her leadership in disease elimination as pivotal to historic regional progress.

PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa also praised her contribution, calling her work in immunization and health systems strengthening a lasting legacy that continues to inspire public health professionals across the region.

In 2018, PAHO named Dr. Dahl-Regis a Public Health Hero of the Americas in recognition of her impact on regional health outcomes.

Accepting the award, Dr. Dahl-Regis dedicated the recognition to health workers across the Caribbean, the Americas, and beyond, noting that her career had been shaped by mentors and the resilience of the children she has worked to protect.

Addressing delegates at the assembly, she highlighted both progress and ongoing challenges in global health, stressing that millions still lack access to essential services and calling for renewed international cooperation.

“We must act now,” she said. “Our humanity is inseparable from our responsibility to preserve dignity and expand opportunity for all. Cooperation must remain our guiding principle.”

This year’s Global Health Leaders Awards also recognized Dr. Tore Godal of Norway, Dr. Mike Ryan of Ireland, and Dr. Heba El Sewedy of Egypt for their contributions to global public health.