Peter Salama
Authors: Sharmila Devi
Journal: The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2020)

The Executive Director of WHO's Division for Universal Health Coverage died on Jan 24, 2020 Peter Salama, an Australian-born epidemiologist who occupied a series of leadership roles in global health, died suddenly aged 51, WHO announced on 24 January. Salama, who died of a reported heart attack, was head of WHO's Universal Health Coverage after joining the organisation in 2016 as executive director of Health Emergencies. His previous roles included UNICEF's regional director for Middle East and Africa and as UNICEF representative in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. He also worked at Médecins Sans Frontières and Concern Worldwide in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Colleagues and friends spoke of a man who was outspoken in challenging norms and remaining passionate about healthcare in fragile states and for women and children. “He was a global leader who championed the rights of women and children to health and education, making it a simple and accessible message to advocate to decision-makers and programme deliverers,” Peter Hawkins, UNICEF representative in Nigeria, told The Lancet Infectious Diseases. “He challenged but he also offered solutions and he did it in a way that delivered results. He had a aura of humility when he championed women and children and he looked up to them. He has three sons and he was an amazing father and husband.” This view was echoed by Richard Brennan, a director in WHO's Health Emergency programme and a close friend of Salama for more than 20 years. “I never met anyone who could work like Pete at the country, regional, and headquarter levels who had his scope and depth of skill and vision”, he told The Lancet Infectious Diseases. “His mother was Palestinian and his father Egyptian and while he was a medical student, he worked in Gaza so he he had a real sense of social justice from a young age.” Salama was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1968. During his career, he led research on maternal and newborn child health, vaccine-preventable diseases, HIV, nutrition, and war-related mortality and violence. He completed his medical and public health degrees at Melbourne and Harvard Universities, where he was also a Fulbright and Harkness fellow in public policy. He became known as a troubleshooter who helped to turn around difficulties at big organisations. “He was a rare combination of someone who was a quick troubleshooter but at the same time could drive consensus as a diplomat”, Prashant Yadav, visiting fellow at the Centre for Global Development, said. “Colleagues […] always said he had a way to win the trust of the patient/community, frontline healthcare professionals, and the minister. Even when the three groups weren’t themselves in agreement, it seemed they still agreed with Pete.” When Salama joined UNICEF in 2002, UNICEF was being accused by many global health advocates for focusing on issues, such as early childhood development and girl's education, at the expense of child survival, particularly in poor and fragile states. “Peter was key in turning this around and his role was amazing”, Flavia Bustreo, former Director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, told The Lancet Infectious Diseases. “He used science and his passion from the field and helped to make UNICEF a player again in global emergencies.” Anirban Chatterjee, health and nutrition chief at UNICEF Middle East and Africa, said one of Salama's greatest contributions was helping to put child survival back on the development agenda. “He was a great advocate for evidence-based public health and he knew how to move the discussion without the need for multiple PhDs”, he said. Salama similarly helped WHO, which came under criticism for its handling of the 2013–16 Ebola virus epidemic in west Africa. “WHO was criticised for not being strong enough in its response to Ebola and they were very wise to bring in Pete”, Kul Kautam, UNICEF deputy executive director from 2000 to 2007, told The Lancet Infectious Diseases. “He was our star at UNICEF. He was humble but competent with a wry sense of humour.” Shyama Kuruvilla, a senior strategic advisor at WHO, also praised Salama's work in creating a robust emergency programme, which is currently being tested by the coronavirus outbreak. “He brought effective leadership and credibility to emergencies”, she said. Many colleagues said that by contrast with others in the development field who were pushy, Salama was quietly more effective. Seth Berkley, head of GAVI told The Lancet Infectious Diseases that it was almost magical the way Salama could work while retaining his values. “He found his cadence in his unique manner. He did what he had to do in terms of following the corporate line but he kept his values and gentlemanliness. That was the magic of what Pete did.”