Dr Tasnim Atatrah

Dr Tasnim Atatrah assumed her role as WHO Representative and Head of Office in Bahrain on 1 June 2021.

Dr Atatrah is a public health specialist, medical doctor, and policy fellow. She joined WHO in 2010 and has worked in 12 countries across WHO's Eastern Mediterranean and European regions in various capacities. Over the course of her work, Dr Atatrah has managed humanitarian response and led interventions to strengthen health systems and promote universal health coverage as the ultimate means to ensuring equitable access to health for all in occupied Palestinian territory, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Libya, and Turkey. In addition, Dr Atatrah has provided technical support to ministries in the development of national health policies, strategies, and plans in line with the targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in occupied Palestinian territory, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Dr Atatrah’s work has simultaneously focused on strengthening participatory governance and enhancing national and regional policy dialogues to promote health and wellbeing. She successfully managed a subregional platform in five countries in Central Asia to enhance regional cooperation and advance health security. She has served as acting WHO representative in Turkmenistan (2021), Tajikistan (2019), and Kyrgyzstan (2018–2019).

Prior to joining WHO, Dr Atatrah worked with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), leading the monitoring and evaluation system for the Palestinian Health Sector Reform and Development project. She also worked for UNICEF as a Communications Specialist and has worked on World Bank-funded grants and for local nongovernmental organizations. Additionally, Dr Atatrah worked as a medical clinician at mobile and emergency clinics in remote areas and refugee camps.

Dr Atatrah holds doctor in medicine degree, and a Master’s degree in Public Health and Epidemiology from the Al-Quds University, a diploma in Project Management from Bethlehem University (occupied Palestinian territory), a High Diploma in Management of Humanitarian Health and Nutrition Programmes from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (United Kingdom), and completed a Policy Fellowship at Cambridge University (United Kingdom).