Hanan H. Balkhy is a Saudi physician who currently serves as the first Assistant Director of Antimicrobial Resistance at the World Health Organization.[1][2]

Early life and education edit

Balkhy grew up in the United States of America until six years of age.[3] She graduated from King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 1991.

Balkhy did her pediatric residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston between 1993 and 1996. She also received a fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases from the Joint Pediatric Infectious Disease Program of the Cleavland Clinic Foundation and Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital from 1996 to 1999.[1] During her fellowship, she worked on the immunological response of Salmonella endotoxin in mice models under the mentorship of Professor Frederick Heinzel. She worked as the Executive Director, Infection Prevention and Control at the Ministry of National Guard for 10 years.

Work edit

Balkhy was the leader of the infectious diseases research department at King Abdullah International Research Centre at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[1] She was the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Infection and Public Health from 2009-2019, and has over 200 publications.

At the World Health Organization, Balkhy is a member of several committees related to antimicrobial resistance, including the UN Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (IACG).[4] She is a fellow at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID).[1]

The World Health Organization announced the appointment of Dr. Balkhy as the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean region.[5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "WHO | Biography of Dr Hanan H. Balkhy Executive Director, Infection Prevention & Control, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, KAMC-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia". WHO. Archived from the original on August 23, 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Global collaborative effort needed to mitigate the pandemic: Professor Balkhy". Saudigazette. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  3. ^ "TheFace: Hanan Balkhy, professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases". Arab News. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  4. ^ Members of the UN Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance World Health Organization (WHO).
  5. ^ "Dr. Hanan Balkhi Elected Regional Director of the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean".

See also edit