Dr Maha El Adawy, Director, Health Protection and Promotion

Dr Maha El Adawy, Director, Healthier Populations

Vision

The Department of Health Protection and Promotion envisions the reduction of morbidity and mortality, and improvement of health and quality of life among different categories and populations along the life course through advancing the value of health; promoting healthy environments and healthy lifestyles, reducing risks of unhealthy behaviors, enhancing gender and health equity and incorporating social determinants of health in all relevant work plans and programmes.

Mission

The mission of the Department of Health Protection and Promotion is to assist Member States and provide technical guidance and support to promote the health of populations through building capacity and enabling environments for healthy living, at the individual, family, and community levels.

Biography

Dr El-Adawy was appointed Director, Division of Health Protection and Promotion, in July 2016. She previously worked as the Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the Islamic Republic of Iran from August 2015 to July 2016. She also held the position of Programme and Technical Regional Advisor, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights in the UNFPA Regional Office in Cairo, Egypt from January 2009 to August 2015. Dr El-Adawy was the Policy Adviser for Health in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office in New York, USA, from June 2007 to December 2008. Prior to this post, Dr El-Adawy was the Senior Regional Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights Program Officer at the Ford Foundation, New York, USA, from March 2000 until June 2007. She held other senior health positions at the European Commission Delegation in Cairo, Egypt, as well as at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, USA.  

Dr El-Adawy holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from Cairo University, Egypt. Dr El-Adawy holds a Master’s degree of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health from Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, as well as a Doctorate degree of Public Health from Cairo University, Egypt. She also holds the Eisenhower fellowship for leadership development from the Eisenhower Fellowship program, Philadelphia, USA. She also holds a Takemi fellowship from Harvard School of Public Health. She has also worked as a consultant for UNICEF, the World Bank and the American University in Beirut.