From the ip-health listserv Friday, an internal communication from World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan announcing a change in staff responsible for innovation and intellectual property issues. On 1 August, Elil Renganathan of Malaysia, the current director of Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property, will move to become director of Planning, Resource Coordination and Performance Monitoring (PRP) at WHO. Also on 1 August, Malebona Precious Matsoso will take over as director of Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property. Matsoso, from South Africa, is currently a director in the WHO secretariat on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property.
Chan first hailed the upcoming retirement on 1 October of Denis Aitken, assistant director-general of the General Management Cluster, after 19 years of service. Mohamed Abdi Jama of Somalia, currently deputy regional director of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, will assume the post of assistant director-general, GMG, from 1 October. Jama has been with WHO “for many years,” Chan said, and previously served as WHO representative in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
These staff changes were confirmed by WHO on Friday.