10 November 2017Africa

LSIPR 50 2017: Matshidiso Moeti

Name: Matshidiso Moeti

Organisation: World Health Organisation

Position: Regional director for Africa

Matshidiso Moeti is the first female regional director for Africa at the World Health Organisation. Her position, which she has held for almost 20 years, has allowed her to focus on advancing universal health coverage and encourage global developments.

One of Moeti’s biggest achievements which LSIPR 50 is highlighting this year is the deal she made with the president of the African Development Bank to agree on priority health programmes for potential future cooperation between the two organisations.

Before joining the WHO’s Africa office in 1999, Moeti worked in the public health sector for more than 35 years. Within the WHO alone, she has served in many positions such as deputy regional director, assistant regional director, director of non-communicable diseases, WHO representative for Malawi, and coordinator of the inter-country support team for the South and East African countries.

"She has also led the development of WHO regional strategies for public health priority areas."

In addition, she has worked with UNAIDS as a team leader of the Africa and Middle East desk in Geneva, with UNICEF as a regional health advisor for East and Southern Africa, and with Botswana’s Ministry of Health as a clinician and public health specialist.

Besides leading the regional office, Moeti has established a regional HIV laboratory network which has helped increase the number of HIV patients accessing treatment in the region. She has also led the development of WHO regional strategies for public health priority areas.

Moeti is a graduate of medicine and public health from the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, University of London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.