Svetlana Akselrod

Dr Svetlana Akselrod is the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) Platform, which brings together the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on NCDs and the Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs, as well as oversees a number of other cross-cutting initiatives on NCDs at global, regional and country levels. Dr Akselrod leads a coordinated multisectoral and multi-stakeholder action in the fight against major killers of our time – heart and lung diseases, stroke, cancer, diabetes and mental health conditions – and their major risk factors: tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and air pollution. These efforts involve various stakeholders, including UN agencies, inter-governmental organizations, parliamentarians, civil society, the private sector, philanthropic foundations and academia. Dr Akselrod also ensures a synchronized action of WHO and other stakeholders in addressing NCDs and other public health challenges, including maternal and child health, environmental health and social determinants of health, communicable diseases (such as HIV and TB) and emergencies, with the global aim of achieving universal health coverage. Prior to that, Dr Akselrod held the position of WHO’s Assistant Director-General for NCDs and Mental Health. She led the preparatory process for the Third United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting on NCDs, coordinated the work of the WHO Independent High-level Commission on NCDs and co-chaired the WHO Civil Society Working Group on NCDs.