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'{{Short description|Dominican public health expert (1952–2023)}} {{use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Carissa Etienne | image = Carissa Etienne at PAHO HQ (cropped).jpg | birth_name = Carissa Faustina Etienne | caption = Etienne in 2018 | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1952|11|02}} | birth_place = [[British Leeward Islands]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2023|12|01|1952|11|02}} | death_place = United States | nationality = Dominican | occupation = Doctor <br/> Public health expert | alma mater = [[University of the West Indies]] }} '''Carissa Faustina Etienne''' (2 November 1952 – 1 December 2023) was a [[Dominica|Dominican]] public health expert. She served as the Director of the [[Pan American Health Organization]] (PAHO) and Regional Director for the Americas of the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) (2018–2023).<ref>{{cite press release|title=OAS Congratulates New PAHO Director| date=January 31, 2013 |url=http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-027/13|publisher=Organization of American States|access-date=2013-11-14}}</ref><ref name="Mitchell">{{Cite web|url=https://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13917:director-s-page&Itemid=39378&lang=en|title=PAHO/WHO {{!}} Director's Page|last1=Mitchell|first1=Cristina|date=2017-11-10|website=Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization|language=en-us|access-date=2020-04-22}}</ref> Up to her death, she was in her second five-year term as PAHO director, having been re-elected by the PAHO member states during the Pan American Sanitary Conference in September 2017. In January 2018, she was named Regional Director for the Americas for WHO by its Executive Board based in [[Geneva]].<ref name="Mitchell"/> She was an advocate for universal health coverage.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Universal health coverage is a development issue|date=September 8, 2012 |url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)61483-4/fulltext | journal=[[The Lancet]]|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61483-4 |access-date=2013-11-14|last=Evans |first=David B. |last2=Marten |first2=Robert |last3=Etienne |first3=Carissa |volume=380 |issue=9845 |pages=864–865 |pmid=22959373 |s2cid=34836441 }}</ref> ==Early life and education== Etienne graduated with a degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from the [[University of the West Indies]] in Jamaica. She held a master's degree in community health from the [[London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine]], UK. ==Career== <ref name="Jatinder Kaur">{{cite news|last1=Jatinder|first1=Kaur|title=Dr Carissa Etienne Becomes Regional Director for Americas|url=http://abclive.in/dr-carissa-etienne-regional-director-america/|date=January 24, 2018|access-date=24 January 2018|publisher=ABC Live}}</ref> Etienne started her career as a medical officer in the Princess Margaret Hospital in Dominica. She was Director of Primary Health Care Services, Disaster Coordinator, National Epidemiologist in the Ministry of Health, Coordinator of the National AIDS Program, Chair of the National AIDS Committee, and had two separate terms as Chief Medical Officer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Carissa F. Etienne: Assistant Director, Pan American Health Organization|url=http://www.thedominican.net/articles/etienne.htm|publisher=The Dominican.net|volume=1|issue=55|date=5 February 2004|first=Thomson|last=Fontaine|access-date=14 November 2013}}</ref> Etienne was the Assistant Director of PAHO from 2003 to 2008.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Carissa Etienne: taking the reins at PAHO|date=February 23, 2013 |url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)60334-7/fulltext|journal=The Lancet|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60334-7 |access-date=2013-11-14|last1=Holmes |first1=David |volume=381 |issue=9867 |page=619 |pmid=23439091 |s2cid=41384747 }}</ref> She served as the Assistant Director-General of Health Systems and Services at the [[World Health Organization]] in 2008–12.<ref name=Bio>{{cite web|title=WHO Assistant Directors webpage|url=https://www.who.int/dg/adg/etienne/en/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191518/http://www.who.int/dg/adg/etienne/en/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 29, 2013|publisher=WHO|access-date=15 July 2020}}</ref><ref name=PAHO_bio /> She was elected PAHO director in September 2012 and took up the position, which has a five-year term, in February 2013.<ref name=PAHO_bio>{{cite web|url=http://www.paho.org/director/?page_id=5 |title=Biographical Note |publisher=[[Pan American Health Organization]]|website=paho.org|access-date=28 January 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034502/http://www.paho.org/director/?page_id=5 |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> She also served as honorary Vice-President of the [[American Public Health Association]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Carissa Etienne, MBBS, MSc |url=http://www.apha.org/about/gov/candidates/HVP/Etienne.htm |publisher=APHA |access-date=15 July 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109032836/http://www.apha.org/about/gov/candidates/HVP/Etienne.htm |archive-date=2013-11-09 }}</ref> On 27 September 2017, Etienne was re-elected for a second five-year term as Director of PAHO by the Member States of the organization.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dr. Carissa F. Etienne re-elected for second term as PAHO Director |url=https://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13737:dr-carissa-f-etienne-re-elected-for-second-term-as-paho-director&Itemid=1926&lang=en |website=PAHO/WHO |access-date=16 July 2020 |date=27 September 2017}}</ref> On 23 January 2018 the WHO Executive Board appointed her for a second term as WHO Regional Director for Americas.<ref name="Jatinder Kaur" /> Dr. Etienne is credited for leading efforts by the World Health Organization's Pan American bureau, PAHO to combat the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in the Americas. She is also credited for the organization's campaigns against [[cholera]] and [[yellow fever]] outbreaks in the countries of [[Haitian Creole|Haiti]] and [[Brazil]]. Dr. Etienne also lead PAHO's efforts against the [[Zika virus]] and [[Chikungunya]] epidemics in the Americas.<ref>''Official Funeral for Dr Carissa Etienne set for Wednesday, January 10, 2024''. Dominicanewsonline.com. <nowiki>https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/official-funeral-for-dr-carissa-etienne-set-for-wednesday-january-10-2024/</nowiki></ref> ==Death== Etienne died in the United States on 1 December 2023, at the age of 71.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/former-paho-director-dr-carissa-etienne-has-died |title=Former PAHO Director Dr Carissa Etienne has died|website=Loop|date=December 1, 2023}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Etienne, Carissa}} [[Category:1952 births]] [[Category:2023 deaths]] [[Category:Alumni of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine]] [[Category:Caribbean public health doctors]] [[Category:Caribbean women physicians]] [[Category:Dominica officials of the United Nations]] [[Category:University of the West Indies alumni]] [[Category:Women public health doctors]] [[Category:World Health Organization officials]] [[Category:21st-century Dominica women]]'