Jong-Wook Lee sets bold new course at WHO.

On July 21 2003 Dr. Jong-Wook Lee took office as director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). In a world where emerging threats to global health are becoming increasingly encompassing the individual at the helm of the pre-eminant health organization must be recognized as a major player on the world stage. In his inaugural address to WHO staff Dr. Lee outlined his vision for the coming years of his tenure. Simply stated he believes that WHOs work must be guided by three principles: doing the right things in the right places in the right way. Foremost among the right things is a scaled up effort to fight HIV/AIDS to be led by a new HIV/AIDS leadership team with a mandate to develop a strategy for ensuring achievement of the "three by five" goal i.e. providing 3 million people in the developing world with antiretroviral therapy by the close of 2005. WHO departments working on the three major infectious diseases - HIV/AIDS tuberculosis and malaria - will be unified into one cluster that will be able to work effectively with the Global Fund. Additional right things articulated by Lee include expanded attention to child and maternal health noncommunicable diseases tobacco control nutrition violence and mental health as well as the eradication of polio. (excerpt)