Kingston, Jamaica, 30 October 2026 (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) has appointed Dr. Eldonna Boisson as the new PAHO/WHO Representative for Jamaica, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands, effective 29 October 2026.
Before her new appointment, Dr. Boisson served as the PAHO/WHO Representative for The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands from January 2021 to October 2026. In that role, she led technical cooperation efforts to strengthen health systems, governance, and primary health care in pursuit of health equity and universal access to quality health services. Her work focused on health promotion across the life course, communicable and non-communicable disease prevention and control, emergency preparedness and response, and the development of safe and resilient environments.
With over 32 years of experience in international public health within PAHO/WHO, Dr. Boisson is a distinguished epidemiologist. Her expertise encompasses the implementation of the International Health Regulations, communicable disease surveillance, antimicrobial resistance, outbreak investigation, and the development and delivery of epidemiology and surveillance training programs. In 2020, she contributed to PAHO/WHO’s Regional Incident Management System Team for COVID-19, supporting key surveillance and travel health initiatives across the Caribbean.
Early in her career, Dr. Boisson served as a Research Fellow and Tutor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where she conducted cancer survival research and taught courses in demography, statistics, research design, and statistical computing. She also worked as a Clinical Scientist with the Public Health Laboratory Service’s Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre in the United Kingdom, contributing to HIV epidemiological modelling and surveillance.
Dr. Boisson holds a PhD in Epidemiology and an MSc in Medical Demography from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Calgary. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated strong leadership in managing multidisciplinary teams, coordinating emergency responses, overseeing complex budgets, and advancing health system reforms. She has published in regional and international journals, contributed to public health guidelines, and delivered presentations at national, regional, and global forums. Her combination of technical expertise, strategic leadership, and global health diplomacy continues to support transformative public health action across the Caribbean.
With this appointment, Dr. Boisson will provide strategic leadership in health diplomacy, serving as the principal liaison with government ministries, the United Nations system, multilateral organizations, and other key partners, while strengthening regional and international partnerships and mobilizing resources to advance PAHO/WHO’s technical cooperation in Jamaica, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands.
