Maria Van Kerkhove

Maria Van Kerkhove is a prominent infectious disease epidemiologist who currently serves as the Director (a.i.) of the Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention at the World Health Organization (WHO).25 She has been in this role since November 2023.2

Some key points about Dr. Van Kerkhove's background and career:

Education and Early Career

• She received her BS in Biology from Cornell University in 1999.23
• She earned an MS in Epidemiology from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2000.23
• In 2009, she completed her PhD in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.23

WHO Career

• She joined WHO in 2017 as a Scientist and Technical Lead for MERS-CoV.3
• Since January 2020, she has served as the COVID-19 Technical Lead at WHO.2
• She is also the head of the Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses Unit in the WHO Health Emergencies Programme.3

Expertise and Focus

Dr. Van Kerkhove specializes in emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, with a background in high-threat pathogens.3 Her work has involved:

• Field research on zoonoses and respiratory viruses like H5N1 avian influenza.3
• Studies on various infectious diseases including Ebola, Marburg, influenza, meningitis, and MERS-CoV.3
• Leading WHO's technical response to the COVID-19 pandemic.13

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Van Kerkhove has been a prominent figure in WHO's public communications, regularly appearing in press conferences to provide updates and answer questions about the evolving situation.34