Stella Chungong

Dr Chungong is a global leader committed to advancing Global Health Security and championing Public Health initiatives. She is currently the Director of the Health Emergency Preparedness Department at the World Health Organization, Headquarters in Geneva and in charge of country level health emergencies preparedness under the International Health Regulations (IHR). This includes the global guidance for the States Parties Annual Reports under the IHR, the Joint External Evaluations, the country planning, simulation exercises, intra and after-action reviews, all underpinned by the multisectoral, one health and whole of society approach. The work also covers the development of national investment cases and mapping of health emergency preparedness financial and technical resources. The department provides evidence-based information for capacity building and actions for emergencies, building strategic partnerships for health security, and strengthening Disaster Risk Management and Resilience. She is also the technical lead of the Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR) Secretariat, an innovative mechanism aimed at elevating emergency preparedness at the highest levels of government, fostering transparency, trust, and solidarity among Member States. Dr Chungong provided the global strategy to WHO Member States in systematically reviewing their response to COVID-19 (Intra-Action Reviews) to be better prepare to future health emergencies and reduce the impact of disasters. She spearheaded the development and implementation of the International Health Regulations Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, as well as global policies, strategies and tools for IHR implementation, resulting in improved IHR core capacities across Member States. Dr Chungong worked at the national level, and at the global level in various capacities on surveillance and response systems strengthening, the International Health Regulations, and country preparedness for health emergencies. She led the WHO global response to Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in 2014 as the global incident manager, coordinating response teams across various countries in West Africa. She set up the EVD readiness systems in 19 neighboring countries and managed the Global Outbreak Alert Response Network, bringing over 150 institutions together to provide a concerted support to countries. She carried out active outbreak investigations, including leading the first investigation of a new syndrome that was later coined as "nodding disease”. She is a recipient of the Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite from the Republic of Cameroon for services to Global Health and holds a Masters degree from the University of Leeds, Diploma of Community Medicine from the University of Geneva and a Doctorate of Medicine from the University Centre for Health Sciences (CUSS) in Cameroon.