Bridgetown, Barbados, August 13, 2024, (PAHO/WHO) –Bridgetown, Barbados, August 13, 2024, (PAHO/WHO) – The PAHO Office for the Caribbean Subregion is pleased to welcome Dr Juan Manuel Sotelo as the Interim Director of the Subregional Office in Barbados. Dr Sotelo, an experienced international public health professional, succeeds Dean Chambliss, who was recently reassigned as Director, Shared Services Initiative.
Dr. Sotelo is well acquainted with PAHO/WHO, having managed the political, technical, and managerial aspects of PAHO/WHO operations in Bolivia, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. He is an experienced Director of national and international programs across South and Central America and the Caribbean. Additionally, he has led the Department of External Relations, Resource Mobilization, and Partnerships at PAHO.
His predecessor, Mr. Chambliss, expressed his confidence in Dr Sotelo's ability to continue advancing PAHO's achievements in public health across the region.
“I believe that together, PAHO and Caribbean Member States have made significant strides in advancing public health objectives across the region, improving access to quality care, and fostering partnerships that have strengthened our collective impact. We collectively emerged from COVID and returned to “normalcy”, no small achievement despite the myriad public health challenges we continue to face,” Mr Chambliss noted.
Dr Sotelo shares this optimistic vision for the future, expressing his commitment to building on the region's successes and tackling the challenges ahead.
“I am very happy and enthusiastic about my assignment in the Caribbean, this is a comeback for me. Dr Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO/WHO Director, has entrusted me with this most important mission and I will work together with the Caribbean Institutions and partners to make progress towards Universal Health,” he asserted.
With Dr Sotelo's leadership, the PAHO Office for the Caribbean Subregion is poised to continue its mission of improving public health outcomes and fostering sustainable development across the region.
