Rendez-vous with Vinayak Prasad, Senior
Adviser for WHO's Africa initiative.
Thank you Vinayak for taking the
time to be with us today.
May I ask you to introduce
yourself by giving us some background (educational, professional) information
about yourself and by telling us how, when and why you got involved in tobacco
control.
Vinayak Prasad: : Let me thank you for giving me
this opportunity to discuss the WHO project for Africa. My Background: I joined the WHO Tobacco Free
Initiative in Dec 2009 to work on the Gates Africa project.
I was working with
the Government of India for the past 20 years in different capacities in the
Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health. Some of my initial years were spent
in working with Indian Customs, working on trade facilitation and strengthening
capacity to tackle illicit trade.
Judith is Director of the Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control
Hong Kong
Thank you Judith for accepting our rendez-vous. May I ask you to introduce yourself?
Judith Mackay: My name is Judith Longstaff Mackay. I have lived in
Hong Kong since 1967, initially working as a hospital physician, then
since 1984 concentrating on tobacco control. I am currently the
Director of the Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control, and Senior Policy
Advisor to World Health Organisation on tobacco issues.
Nota: I met with Judith Mackay during the 11th world conference
on Tobacco or Health in Chicago. A slightly different version of this
interview was published in the daily journal of the conference (in the
August 11th issue). We have had one previous rendez-vous with Judith on
February 12, 1999. Thank you Judith for accepting our rendez-vous. May I ask you to introduce yourself?
Judith Mackay : I have lived in Hong Kong since 1967, initially working
as a hospital physician in university and government hospitals. In
1984 I left hospital medicine to concentrate on preventive rather than
curative health, in particular tobacco control.
This rendez-vous is part of our effort to share with Globalink
members the outcome of the international meeting that took place in
Atlanta (March 24-26) and especially of the working group on
"information management".
Thank you Pascal for accepting our "rendez-vous". May I ask you to introduce yourself?
My name is Pascal A. Diethelm.
I am both French and Swiss and have been with WHO for about 27 years (WHO was my first full time job after university).
Thank you Judith for accepting our " rendez-vous ".
May I ask you to introduce yourself ?
I am a medical graduate from Edinburgh University in Scotland, and I've
have lived in Hong Kong since 1967, initially working as a hospital
physician in university and government hospitals. In 1984 I left
hospital medicine to concentrate on preventive rather than curative
health, in particular tobacco control.
I was the founding Executive Director of the Hong Kong Council on
Smoking and Health. I resigned in 1989 to establish the one-person
Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control, to facilitate the sharing of
information, experience and expertise on tobacco control amongst
countries in the Asia Pacific region.
Thank you Derek for accepting our " rendez-vous ". May I ask you to introduce yourself ?
I am a Public health professional with qualifications in medicine, public health and especially epidemiology.
I am from South Africa where my work ranged over major public
health concerns, including research and advocacy related to tobacco
control.
For 3 years I was responsible for coordinating a global consultation to
develop a new global health policy for the 21st century and since July,
with the appointment of the new DG, Dr Brundtland, I have been leading
the Tobacco Free Initiative of WHO: one of 2 initial cabinet projects
(with malaria being the other).
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