Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima Director-General Emeritus World Health Organization

Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima is Director-General Emeritus of the World Health Organization, a doctor at the International University of Health and Welfare, and president of its International Research Institute.

Dr. Nakajima was born at Chiba City, Japan, on 16 May 1928. He obtained his medical degree at the Tokyo Medical College in 1955 and he holds a post-graduate degree in medical science. In 1984, he was awarded the Kojima Prize -- the highest award given in Japan for achievements in public health.

Shortly after graduation, Dr. Nakajima began his training in neuropsychiatry in the Department of Neuropsychiatry, Tokyo Medical College, and later in the Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Paris University, and in the Institute of Pharmacology of the same university.

From 1958 to 1967 he worked as a scientist at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Paris, carrying out research in basic and clinical neuropsycho-pharmacology and finally, as principal scientist, supervising research activities of the neuropsycho-pharmacological unit of the Institute. In 1967, he returned to Japan as Director, Research and Administration, Nippon Roche Research Centre in Tokyo.

Dr. Nakajima joined WHO in 1974 in the position of Scientist, Drug Evaluation and Monitoring. In 1976, he became Chief of the WHO Drug Policies and Management Unit. It was in this position that he played a key role in developing the concept of essential drugs, as Secretary of the first Expert Committee on the subject. In 1978, the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific nominated and elected Dr. Nakajima as Regional Director, an office he held for two consecutive terms until 1988, when he was elected Director-General of WHO. In 1993, Dr. Nakajima was re-elected to a second term of office as Director-General.

Dr. Nakajima's tenure of office has coincided with dramatic and profound socio-economic changes in the world throughout the 1990s. As a result, WHO has had to face multiple new challenges, as well as health-related problems caused by degradation of the environment, the emergence of new diseases, such as Ebola, and resurgence of old foes, such as tuberculosis. Considerable progress has been made on the way towards eradication of polio and elimination of guinea worm disease, leprosy and Chagas disease.

As Director-General, Dr. Nakajima has seen the growth of the Organization from 166 Members in 1988 to 191 in 1997. In 1997, Dr. Nakajima announced that he was not seeking another re-election and that his term of office would end in July 1998. In recognition of his loyalty and the outstanding services rendered to international public health, the 51st World Health Assembly, meeting in May 1998, awarded Dr Hiroshi Nakajima the title of Director-General Emeritus.

Dr Hiroshi Nakajima is an Honorary Fellow and Member of a number of academies, public health associations and medical societies. He is the author of more than 60 scientific articles and reviews in the field of medical and pharmaceutical sciences.

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