Lima, Peru, 13 March 2017 (PAHO/WHO) - The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa F. Etienne, was named an honorary professor by Peru's National University of San Marcos (UNMSM). The distinction is given to outstanding professionals for academic merit, scientific research, and/or technological and cultural achievements at the national or international level.
"She is a person who inspires us to continue fighting for justice and equity in health," said the university's rector, Orestes Cachay Boza, in recognizing Etienne.
In receiving the honor, Etienne said her early experiences practicing medicine in her own country had led to what is today her main aspiration: achieving universal health in the Americas.
Etienne praised the role of the National University of San Marcos and its School of Medicine in promoting health progress in Peru. "Their professionals have traveled to the most remote places to treat the sick and to work with communities to improve living conditions," she said."In our countries, the poorest people report low levels of coverage and access to health services and a lack of quality health care. They live in precarious conditions and are affected by social determinants of health. Inequities are hidden in statistical averages. This painful reality is what we want to change," she said.
Etienne noted that PAHO, at 115 years old, is the oldest international health agency in the world. But UNMSM is even older, at 466 years, and holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the Americas. Both institutions share a history that reflects the evolution of health and education in Peru and in the Americas, and both represent traditions and values that are their most important legacy, she said.
Etienne is in Peru this week (March 13 to 16) for an official visit. She is scheduled to meet with President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and other Peruvian authorities to discuss the country's health challenges heading toward 2021, the year of Peru's bicentennial, as well as the sustainable development agenda for 2030 and related subjects.
