Dr. Indar is an innovative public health scientist/specialist with 20 years regional and international experience in managing and executing regional public health surveillance and response, with demonstrated, robust leadership, management, coordination, multidisciplinary technical expertise (public health, emergency and response, food safety, environmental health, travellers’ health), health diplomacy, communications and resource mobilization skills. She has a PHD (with high commendation), MSc (Distinction) and a BSc (Honors).
Dr Indar currently holds the position of Ad Interim Executive Director of CARPHA, as of July 2024, having served in her substantive post of Director, Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control Division (D-SDPC) for the past four years, and the Assistant D-SDPC prior. In the past two months, Dr. Indar has successfully led CARPHA, including the health response post-Hurricane Beryl, Regional response to Mpox, the Regional Pandemic Fund Stakeholder Workshop and CARPHA’s Technical Advisory Council Governance Meeting.
Under her stewardship as the Director of Surveillance Diseases Prevention and Control Division at CARPHA, Dr. Indar was responsible for leading, directing, coordinating and managing public health surveillance and response activities related to conditions of regional and international significance including:
• CARPHA’s comprehensive, multi-faceted health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, coordinating with 26 countries, Chief Medical Officers, international and regional stakeholders, to keep the Caribbean safe.
• Successful submission and initiation of the CARPHA’s Regional Pandemic Fund Grant (US16M).
• Development and implementation of novel, regional mass gatherings surveillance for the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup that took place in the Caribbean in June 2024.
• Development and implementation of CARPHA’s Regional Health Security (RHS) framework and pathway.
• Innovative surveillance and response mechanisms and tools for rapid and real-time response.
• Strengthening partnerships with key regional and international public health agencies and developmental partners (IDB, CARICOM, IMPACS, CDEMA, CDC, WB, WHO, EU, UKHSA, PHAC, CTO, CHTA) and networks.
• Chaired and directed CARPHA Incident Management Team for Emergency and Response and the Regional Coordinating Mechanism for Health Security.
• Led the Regional Tourism and Health (THP), an innovative program that is addressing the health, safety and environmental sanitation threats to tourism, with the aim of strengthening regional and national health systems to enhance the health of visitors and locals, thereby promoting sustainable tourism and economic resilience.
CARPHA is the sole, integrated, regional public health agency in the Caribbean, responsible for preventing disease, promoting and protecting health in the Caribbean through leadership, innovation and partnerships. CARPHA is mandated by its Intergovernmental Agreement to supports its 26 Member States in bolstering national systems and coordinating regional response to public health threats in the Caribbean.
