Bridgetown, Barbados, July 29, 2022 (PAHO/WHO) - Today, Dr. Amalia Del Riego Abreu was appointed as the new PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, the United Kingdom overseas territories of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands and Montserrat, as well as the French departments of Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana.
A national of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Del Riego is a medical doctor and holds a master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. She has over 25 years of national and international experience in public health, the integration of priority health programs and the strengthening of health systems and services. She has led key regional initiatives, including the 3 by 5 initiative for HIV/AIDS, the elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV and Syphilis in the Caribbean, and the roll out of the PAHO Strategy for Universal Access to Health and Universal Health Coverage.
Dr. Del Riego began her professional career in 1990 as Professor of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. There, she later served as Academic Coordinator for the MPH Program. Her experience has spanned all levels of PAHO. She joined the organization in 1998 as Advisor, Health Services Development in the PAHO/WHO Representative Office in Belize. In 2001, she served as Health System Advisor in The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos. From 2004 to 2008, she worked as Project Manager of the 3 by 5 Initiative at PAHO/WHO Headquarters in Washington D.C.
In 2008, she was appointed Senior Advisor of the PAHO/HIV Caribbean Office in Trinidad and Tobago. From 2012 to 2014 she served as Senior Advisor Planning and Resource Coordination at PAHO/WHO headquarters. Dr. Del Riego’s career pathway includes extensive experience in preparedness and response to public health emergencies and in working with integration processes in the Caribbean (CARICOM and the OECS). Since 2014, she has served as Chief of the Health Services and Access Unit, Health Systems and Services Department at PAHO/WHO headquarters, with responsibility for the management of the technical cooperation program in health policy, planning and governance, health financing, health services delivery and research for health. She also served as Lead for the Health Systems and Services Pillar of the COVID-19 Incident Management Team from March 2020 to July 2022.
Dr. Del Riego stated that she is honored to have been selected as the new PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, the United Kingdom overseas territories of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands and Montserrat, as well as the French departments of Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana. "These countries and territories have achieved notable public health milestones; however, they still face many sustainable development gaps. Some specific health challenges are the COVID-19 pandemic, the Non-Communicable Disease burden, and the health impact of climate change. These demand urgent health systems transformation to improve resilience and sustainability," she said. Dr. Del Riego is committed to working with each country and territory in their efforts to promote healthy people and ensure universal access to the comprehensive, quality health services they need, with due attention to the social, environmental, and economic determinants of health.
