Margaret Chan

• Director-General, World Health Organization
• Age: 66
• Residence: Geneva, Switzerland
• Country of Citizenship: China
• Education: Medical Doctor, University of Western Ontario; Bachelor of Arts / Science, Northcote College of Education; Masters of Public Health, National University of Singapore
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 1

Profile

Now in her second term as leader of the World Health Organization, Chan is the most powerful person in global public health and the only person with the authority to call a worldwide pandemic. Her advice on drugs and treatments direct countries battling major diseases and viruses like malaria and HIV/AIDS; her recommendations often dictate drug industry profits. WHO 2013 Statistics report showed declining infant mortality rates in the world's poorest countries, increased life expectancies worldwide and a pronouncement that 27 nations have already met the U.N.'s 2015 Millennial Development Goals.