Who: Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, 52
New role: Effective July 1, Tedros will become the first African director-general of the World Health Organization after being elected to the position at the 70th World Health Assembly on May 23. He succeeds Dr. Margaret Chan, who has led the organization since 2006.
Background: Tedros was Ethiopia's minister of health from 2005 to 2012 and as the country's minister of foreign affairs from 2012 to 2016. In 2009 he was elected to serve a two-year term as chairman of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
A contentious vote: Tedros was elected after three rounds of voting among 186 member states at the assembly, marking the first time the WHO elected a director-general through an open voting process rather than a secret ballot by a selected executive committee. Critics have accused Tedros of covering up cholera outbreaks, which can adversely affect the time it takes for an international health response to be mobilized. He has also been criticized for being part of a government that has been accused of having a poor record on human rights.
