Bahamian public health leader Dr. Merceline Dahl-Regis receives WHO Global Health Leaders Award at 79th World Health Assembly

Geneva, Switzerland, 18 May 2026 (PAHO) - Dr. Merceline Dahl-Regis of The Bahamas was recognized today with the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General's Global Health Leaders Award during the High-Level Welcome of the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly (WHA79), honoring her lifelong contribution to public health in the Americas and globally.

Dr. Dahl-Regis has played a defining role in advancing disease elimination, immunization, maternal and child health, and primary health care across the Region of the Americas. A longtime collaborator of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), she is internationally recognized for her leadership in the regional verification process that led the Americas to become the first region in the world declared free of measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome - a landmark public health achievement.

Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Dahl-Regis has championed equitable access to health services and strengthened regional cooperation in public health. As Chief Medical Officer of The Bahamas, she spearheaded key initiatives in adolescent health and maternal and child care, while also contributing to regional efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.

"Dr. Dahl-Regis is a distinguished public health leader whose lifelong commitment to improving health has transformed lives across the Americas and beyond," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "Through her outstanding leadership in disease elimination, she helped lead the Americas to become the first region in the world declared free of measles and rubella."

"Dr. Merceline Dahl-Regis represents the very best of public health in the Americas: visionary leadership, unwavering commitment to equity, and a lifelong dedication to improving people's lives," said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO. "Her contributions to disease elimination, immunization, and primary health care have left a lasting legacy across our Region and continue to inspire generations of public health professionals."

In 2018, PAHO recognized Dr. Dahl-Regis as a Public Health Hero of the Americas for her extraordinary contributions to regional and global health.

Receiving the award, Dr. Dahl-Regis stated: "I thank you for this recognition, which I humbly accept on behalf of the many public health professionals, environmental health workers, and health care providers in The Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Americas, and around the world. Throughout my journey I have been guided by exceptional mentors; however, my greatest teachers have been the children - their courage and enduring hope remind us why our work matters."

Addressing the WHA79 delegates, she recognized that public health, global cooperation, and science have saved billions of lives, improved quality of life, and protected future generations from dangerous diseases. However, she said urgent challenges remain, as millions still lack access to essential health care.

"We must act now. Our humanity is inseparable from our responsibility to preserve dignity and expand opportunity for all. Cooperation must remain our guiding principle. Solidarity remains essential. We have done it before, and we can do it again - and do it even better."

This year's WHO Director-General's Global Health Leaders Awards also recognized Dr. Tore Godal of Norway, Dr. Mike Ryan of Ireland, and Dr. Heba El Sewedy of the Arab Republic of Egypt for their outstanding contributions to global health.