Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar, MD, MPH assumed his current function as the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Lebanon on 1st February 2025, following his tenure as Acting WHO Representative from May 2022 to December 2024. During this period, Dr. Abubakar provided strategic leadership and effective management of the WHO country office, playing a key role in supporting the Lebanese government’s response to multiple emergencies through coordinated approach and expert guidance. His leadership emphasized strengthening health system resilience, ensuring the sector can adapt to and withstand current and future challenges, thereby safeguarding public health in Lebanon.
Previously, Dr. Abubakar served as Programme Area Manager for Infectious Hazard Prevention and Preparedness at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo, Egypt, for five years. In this capacity, he led the Incident Management Support Team for the COVID-19 pandemic response across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, providing coordination and technical support to 22 countries. He has also held several critical roles at WHO over the last two decades, including Team Lead and Epidemiologist in Cairo and South Sudan.
With more than 30 years of experience in public health, health systems, emergency preparedness and response, and epidemiological research, Dr. Abubakar has worked with both national and international organizations across diverse countries. He has successfully managed and responded to major disease outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics worldwide, including COVID-19, H5N1, MERS-CoV, meningococcal meningitis, cholera, Rift Valley fever, visceral leishmaniasis, anthrax, and viral hemorrhagic fevers.
Dr. Abubakar has made substantial contributions to operational research on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, authoring and co-authoring more than 50 research articles published in peer-reviewed international journals. His research has covered COVID-19, influenza, meningitis, cholera, yellow fever, nodding syndrome, visceral leishmaniasis, and HIV/AIDS.
He holds a medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine at Somali National University in Mogadishu, as well as a Master of Public Health and fellowship degree in Epidemiology and International Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, United States.
