Dr Asmus Hammerich, Acting WHO Representative in the Syrian Arab Republic

Dr Asmus Hammerich is the Acting WHO Representative in the Syrian Arab Republic. He has been leading the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo, Egypt, since November 2015. Dr Hammerich is a medical doctor and specialist in general practice/family medicine and international public health. He holds a State Exam Med/MBBS, research MD, and FAAM from Germany and an MScPHDC and MRCGP from the United Kingdom.

From September 2012 to October 2015, he served as WHO Representative to Uzbekistan. Prior to that, he worked as Programme Management Officer (Health Systems) at the WHO country office in Lao People's Democratic Republic from 2008 to 2012.

From 1996 to 2007, Dr Hammerich was professionally involved in international public health and health systems strengthening efforts in Rwanda, Burkina Faso, India and Indonesia at provincial and district level as Team Leader of German (BMZ-GTZ/GIZ) and British (DFID) Government-supported bilateral projects and programmes.

After his medical graduation from Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel in Kiel, Germany, in 1991 (including clinical internships in Vienna, Austria; Cape Town, South Africa; and Auckland, New Zealand), he worked in hospital medicine and primary care in Germany (Hamburg) and the United Kingdom (Oxfordshire, Berkshire and London) for over 5 years.

Dr Hammerich has completed postgraduate diploma/certificate courses in tropical medicine, public health and different areas of management at Heidelberg University (Germany), University of Oxford (United Kingdom), the World Bank and Harvard University (United States).