Sir George Alleyne, director emeritus of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and chancellor of the University of the West Indies, will present the 2016 CHHS Convocation address.
Alleyne, a native of Barbados, has served as the director emeritus of PAHO since 2003. He was also appointed in 2003 to serve as chancellor of the University of the West Indies. Prior to his current roles, he served as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean from 2003 to 2010. Before being elected director emeritus of PAHO, Alleyne served two four-year terms as director of PAHO. He also currently holds as adjunct professorship at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Alleyne has more than 150 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and during his term as director of PAHO and subsequently has given numerous speeches and presentations in which he has dealt with issues such as equity in health, health and development, HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases, and the basis for international cooperation in health. He has also addressed several aspects of Caribbean health and the problems the region faces. Sir George has been visiting faculty at many universities.
Alleyne has received numerous awards in recognition of his work, including prestigious decorations and national honors from many countries. In 1990, he was made Knight Bachelor by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his services to medicine. In 2001, he was awarded the Order of the Caribbean Community, the highest honor that can be conferred on a Caribbean national.