Dr Hanan Balkhy was appointed Assistant Director-General for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in 2019, and she was elected as the new Regional Director Elect for the Mediterranean Region in October 2023.

In ADG’s role she provides political and technical leadership to curb the devastating health and economic burdens of drug resistance. The work includes focus on both supporting countries to implement AMR National Action Plans and strengthening the global response, including through multi- sectoral collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Organization for Animal Health, and United Nations Environment Programme. Prior to joining WHO, Dr Balkhy was Executive Director for Infection Prevention and Control at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of National Guard, and the first Chairperson of the Infectious Diseases Research Department at the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center in Riyadh.

She also served as Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Infection Prevention and Control and Antimicrobial Resistance at King Abdulaziz Medical City Hospital. A graduate of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Dr Balkhy completed her paediatric residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA, and held a paediatric infectious diseases fellowship with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Case Western Reserve University, also in the USA.