Future Directions for Child Health Part 1. Mike Merson and Theresa Diaz

Anthony Costello gives his regular news update. This week he discusses Yemen conflict; Spain's donation to UNRWA; Leptospirosis in India, UK child poverty; the WHO Global Exercise Report. He then interviews two contributing authors on the latest BMJ Series on the WHO UNICEF Strategic Review of Child Health 1. Mike Merson Wolfgang Joklik Professor of Global Health and Vice President and Vice Provost for Global Affairs at Duke University. He joined the Duke faculty in November 2006 as the founding director of the Duke Global Health Institute and served in that role through 2017. In addition, Dr. Merson was Vice Chancellor for Duke-National University of Singapore (NUS) Affairs until 2017. In 1978, he joined the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Medical Officer in the Diarrheal Diseases Control Program. He served as Director of that Program from January 1980 until May 1990. In August 1987, he was also appointed Director of the WHO Acute Respiratory Infections Control Program. In May 1990, he was appointed as Director of the WHO Global Program on AIDS. This Program was operational worldwide and responsible for mobilizing and coordinating the global response to the AIDS pandemic. 2. Theresa Diaz Public health physician, trained at Columbia University, Coordinator Epidemiology and Monitoring and Evaluation Team, MCA, WHO. Formerly with CDC Atlanta and UNICEF.