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 The Newsletter of the Pan American Health Organization


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PAHO Fills Two Top Posts with New Deputy and Assistant Directors


PAHO Director Mirta Roses Periago places a PAHO pin on newly appointed Deputy Director Joxel García. He was formerly public health commissioner for the U.S. state of Connecticut.  ©Armando Waak/PAHO

Two of the Pan American Health Organization's top leadership positions were filled in early August, as Joxel García was sworn in as PAHO deputy director and Carissa Etienne became the organization's new assistant director. The appointments came six months after Mirta Roses Periago assumed the post of PAHO director in February.

García, a native of Puerto Rico, was formerly commissioner of public health of the state of Connecticut, where he has lived since 1988. Etienne, of Dominica, has had a long career with her country's Ministry of Health.

Joxel García

PAHO's new deputy director is a nationally recognized gynecological surgeon with broad experience in health policy, administration, business and marketing. He holds a medical degree from the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico and a master of business administration degree from the University of Hartford in Connecticut. He is also an inventor and patent holder.

While public health commissioner for Connecticut, he was recognized nationwide for his leadership in bioterrorism preparedness and for launching an urban health initiative that worked closely with community agencies to improve public health. García also spearheaded campaigns focusing on senior citizens, women, asthma, diabetes and hypertension. (See "Quoted at Length")

During his first two months in office, García represented PAHO at the National Health Care Forum for Latino State Legislators in New Mexico, met with members of the U.S. congress and executive branch, and made numerous appearances on radio and television, among other activities. "It's an honor to be a part of this organization, which has made so many contributions to the people of the Americas," García said during the Aug. 5 swearing-in ceremony. "I am awed by how much has been accomplished. I am confident about how much more we can do."

Carissa Etienne

PAHO's new assistant director was trained as a general practitioner at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and received a master's degree in community health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She served as medical director at Dominica's Princess Margaret


Carissa Etienne, of Dominica, became PAHO's new assistant director in early August. She will oversee the organization's core technical cooperation programs.  ©Armando Waak/PAHO

Hospital and has held several key Ministry of Health positions, including chief medical officer, designated national epidemiologist, head of the National AIDS Committee and coordinator of the National AIDS Program.

Etienne has carried out a number of research projects on public health issues including health services utilization, social participation and community programs, among others. She has participated in the development and evaluation of major Caribbean regional initiatives in disaster preparedness, HIV/AIDS, health services organization, essential drugs, health promotion and cooperation in health.

"In the spirit of Pan Americanism, the principle on which this organization is founded, we will work together to improve the health status of our people and support those countries in greatest need," Etienne said during the Aug. 5 swearing-in ceremony.

As assistant director, Etienne oversees PAHO's core programs for providing technical cooperation to its member countries: Disease Prevention and Control, Family and Community Health, Sustainable Development and Environmental Health, and Technology and Health Services Delivery.