Nassau, Bahamas, January 6, 2021 (PAHO/WHO)—Dr. Merceline Dahl-Regis, the first Caribbean female and second Caribbean native to receive the prestigious PAHO Public Health Hero of the Americas Award, was bestowed the Companion of the Most Excellent Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) for excellence in public and community health by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
A native of The Bahamas, Dr. Dahl-Regis has spearheaded many local and international public health initiatives.
Dahl-Regis has been instrumental in strengthening maternal and child health services in the region particularly with PAHO's Latin American and Caribbean Center for Perinatology, Women and Reproductive Health. She also established the Comprehensive Adolescent Health Care Center in Nassau during her tenure as Chief Medical Officer.
In 2010, Dr. Dahl-Regis was appointed to lead PAHO's International Expert Committee (IEC) for verification of the elimination of measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome. She was an integral part of the regional efforts to make the Americas became the first region in the world to be declared free of measles and rubella. Dr. Dahl-Regis' contribution to the success of the dual Elimination Initiative, included the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and HIV.
Dr. Dahl-Regis currently serves as a special health advisor to the Prime Minister and has played a significant role in the country’s response to COVID-19.
