Keynote Speaker

Dr. Marcos Espinal

Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)

Tuesday, March 30th 3:30-5:00 PM

Dr. Marcos A. Espinal is currently the Director of the Department of Communicable Diseases and Environmental Determinants of Health at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Dr Espinal, a national of the Dominican Republic, holds a medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (1985); he is a pediatrician, with three years of residency at the Robert Reid Children’s Hospital of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He obtained a master’s degree in public health (MPH, 1990) and a doctorate in public health (Dr.PH, 1995) from the University of California at Berkeley School of Public Health.

Dr. Espinal’s work experience includes positions in the Ministry of Health of the Dominican Republic and the National Center for Research on Maternal and Child Health; the New York City Public Health Department; and the World Health Organization Headquarters in Geneva where he worked for 13 years. Before joining PAHO in 2010, Dr Espinal served as Executive Secretary of the WHO Stop TB Partnership, a global movement aiming at the elimination of TB as a public health problem. His work has transcended beyond the field of medicine and public health worldwide when he was cited by the renowned author John Le Carré in his book The Constant Gardener. In 2006 together with Bill Gates, Gordon Brown, Chancellor of England, and Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria, Dr Espinal launched the Global Plan to Eliminate Tuberculosis at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Dr. Espinal has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in the field of communicable diseases. He is a recipient of the Scientific Prize of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, the Walter and Elise A. Hass International Award by the University of California at Berkeley for a distinguished record of service in international health; the Princess Chichibu Memorial Tuberculosis Global Award by the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association; and the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic for his work and outstanding career in the field of research, public health, and pediatrics. In 2018, Dr. Espinal was honored by the UC Berkeley School of Public Health as one of the 75 most influential public health alumni over the entire 75 year history of the School of Public Health. He is also a member of the Forum on Microbial Threats of the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

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