WHO Region of the Americas
Carlos Santos-Burgoa MD, MPH, PhD.
Senior Adviser for Violence, Injury and Human Security
Phone: +1 202 74 3747
Fax: +1 202 974 3645
Responsibilities:
- Policy definition and development on Human Security
- Development and support for Injuries and Violence Prevention, epidemiology and health promotion capacity building strategies, fund raising.
A national of México, Dr Santos-Burgoa received a degree in medicine and surgery from the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 1979; a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University in 1982; and a doctorate degree in environmental and occupational epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University in 1988. His previous work experience includes academic positions in the University of Michigan, USA, as well as the National Institute of Public Health and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He has held several Director General positions in the Ministry of Health of Mexico related to health promotion, equity and development, and environmental health. He is also the founder and Director General of the Work Environment and Health Institute.
Dr Carlos Santos-Burgoa is currently Senior Advisor on Violence, Injury and Human Security at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington, DC, USA. His duties involve cooperation with member states in generating a policy for human security, and enhancing and complementing actions on violence and injury prevention. He foresees his work as advocating and strengthening the interventions on violence and injury prevention, the application of epidemiologic and health promotion principles including the monitoring and modification of risks for violence and injury prevention, and advocating for health and other sector policies, investments and organizational development at the local and national levels.
Eugênia Maria Silveira Rodrigues, MD, MPH, PhD
Regional Adviser on Road Safety, Risk Assessment Unit
Sustainable Development and Environmental Health Area
Phone : +202- 974 3639
Fax : +202- 974 3645
Responsibilities:
- Public policy development for road safety / Epidemiological surveillance
- Fund raising / Country support / Network strengthening
Dr Rodrigues is a medical doctor with a Doctoral and a Masters degree in Preventive Medicine from the São Paulo University, Brazil. She worked as an Epidemiologist in the surveillance of infectious diseases at local level for many years. From 1997 to 2000, she was part of a team which developed a Road Traffic Victims Surveillance System in an important regional emergency service in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. She also coordinated a project on the reduction of morbidity and mortality due to road traffic injuries and was the National Coordinator of Injury Surveillance at Brazil’s Ministry of Health.
Since September 2005, Dr Rodrigues has been working as a Regional Advisor on Road Safety with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), now based in Washington, DC, USA. Her duties involve technical cooperation with Member States in the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies for the promotion of road safety and prevention and control of injuries due to traffic crashes; support to Member States to develop and implement studies related to the identification and determination of the causes and risk factors for road traffic crashes; and compiling, analyzing, evaluating and disseminating information on the magnitude of the injuries caused by traffic crashes. She also provides support and promotes and strengthens national/international networks directed to improve epidemiological surveillance and the projects related to the prevention and control of injuries due to traffic crashes.
Alessandra Guedes, MA, MSc
Regional Adviser on Intra-Family Violence
Phone : +1 202 974 3815
Fax : +1 202 974 3645
Responsibilities:
- Prevention of intra-family violence
- Prevention of gender-based violence
Alessandra Guedes holds an MSc degree in Public Health for Developing Countries from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK and an MA degree in Art Therapy from the George Washington University, USA. She has published widely on the topic of violence, including Improving the Health Sector Response to Gender-Based Violence: A Resource Manual for Health Care Professionals in Developing Countries (Bott, Guedes, Claramunt and Guezmes, 2004). She was vice-president of the board of Promundo for several years (Brazil) and currently sits on the Coordinating Group of the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (South Africa). During the last 11 years she has worked intensively in the area of gender violence, first as a Senior Program Officer at the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Western Hemisphere Region (IPPF/WHR) in New York, USA and subsequently as a recently as a freelance consultant based in Brasília, Brazil. As a consultant, she worked with WHO, Unifem, USAID, Oxfam, Jhpiego and Path, amongst others.
Ms Guedes is currently the Regional Adviser on Intra-Family Violence at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington, DC, USA. She has worked in the public health field for the past fifteen years, involved in cutting edge reproductive health issues that are at the nexus of reproductive health and human rights, including adolescent reproductive health, safe abortion, gender-based violence and emergency contraception.
Armando Jose Vásquez Barrios
Regional Advisor
Phone : +562 264 9300 or +562 437 4600
Fax : +562 264 9311
Responsibilities
- Disability prevention and rehabilitation
- Policy development, Implementation of Community-based Rehabilitation
Dr Vásquez is Venezuelan, and studied medicine at the University Centro Occidental "Lisandro Alvarado" in Barquisimeto. After working as a general practitioner, Dr Vásquez did his graduate studies in Public Health Administration with a specialty in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and in the Management of Human Resources in the area of Occupational Health. For several years he held various positions within the Ministry of Health, including Hospital Director, District Health Chief, State Health Director, Coordinator of the National Rehabilitation Program, and Deputy Assistant to the General Director of the Ministry of Health. Dr Vásquez is an active member of the Latin American Medical Association of Rehabilitation (AMLAR) and the International Commission on Technology and Accessibility (ICTA-LA) as well as other national organizations.
Over the years, Dr Vásquez has worked as a consultant to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to develop rehabilitation projects in Central America. Currently, Dr. Vásquez is PAHO's Regional Adviser on Rehabilitation and works in close collaboration with partner organizations across the region to strengthen rehabilitation programs and promote policies related to disability.
WHO Country Office for Mexico
Roy Rojas
Technical Officer
Dr Roy Rojas has a degree in Social Work from the University of Costa Rica, as well as a Master in Management of Development Projects from the Central American Institute of Public Administration in San José, Costa Rica. He graduated in Social Management at the Inter-American Council of Studies in Social Security in Mexico. For three years Dr Rojas was Executive Director of the Road Security Council of Costa Rica, where he was previously Technical Coordinator from 1996. In 2004, the Swedish National Road Consulting AB granted him a certificate as International Expert in the Management of Projects of Technical Cooperation in Road Security. From 1999 to 2007, he was Technical Manager of the Agreement of Technical Cooperation in Road Security between Sweden and Costa Rica. He also served as the local representative of the Global Road Safety Partnership in Costa Rica. He is a founding member of the Transitory Commission of Road Security for Latin America and the Caribbean. Along with 100 international experts, he contributed to the World report on road traffic injury prevention published by WHO and World Bank in 2004.
Dr Rojas currently serves as the national coordinator of the Road Safety in 10 Countries (RS10) Project in Mexico as part of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).