Voices of Anakazi - Dr Teguest Guerma AMREF Dir General

On Voices of Anakazi , Tuesday July 24, we will feature Dr. Teguest Guerma, an Ethiopian national, medical doctor and infectious diseases specialist, was appointed Director General of AMREF in June 2010.  She is the first African woman to lead AMREF since its inception in 1957.

Dr Guerma has enjoyed an extensive career in public health with over 26 years experience with the World Health Organization (WHO).  Until her appointment to AMREF, Dr. Guerma worked as the Associate Director of the HIV/AIDS department for the WHO in Geneva where she was responsible for their overall strategy on HIV/AIDS.  Previously, she served as the WHO representative to UN Headquarters in New York, USA and Gaborone, Botswana; HIV/AIDS and STI Regional Adviser in the WHO Regional office for Africa, in Brazzaville, Congo, and acted as a WHO Representative in Kathmandu Nepal, among other roles.

Dr. Guerma began her career as a medical practitioner and infectious diseases specialist in Senegal and Burundi in the mid-1980s. She holds a medical degree from the University of Reims and post-graduate degrees in Infectious Diseases and Bacteriology Virology from the University of Dakar.   Dr Guerma also received a certificate in Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University.