Dr Rayana Ahmed Bou Haka was appointed as WHO Representative in Qatar in June 2022. Dr Rayana Bou Haka is a pediatrician with over 10 years of clinical experience in private practice in Beirut from 1990 to 2000. She also spent 6 years as the Emergency Unit Physician, American University of Beirut Medical Center from 1991 to 1997.

 

Having joined WHO in 2000, Dr Bou Haka had occupied several posts at the three levels of the Organization, starting in headquarters in Geneva and alternating between country offices and the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo.

 

She was WHO Representative in Djibouti from February 2011 to August 2014; Medical Officer in the emergency humanitarian action programme in the Regional Office in Cairo from November 2008 to February 2011, as well as from July 2004 to December 2005; Chief of Emergency Operations and Health Cluster Coordinator in the WHO country office in Islamabad, Pakistan, from January 2006 to November 2008; and Medical Officer Health Action in Crises in WHO headquarters from October 2000 to June 2004.

 

Dr Rayana was the Manager, Country Cooperation and Collaboration programme in the Regional Office from August 2014 until she was appointed in her current position as WHO Representative in Qatar. Since May 2017 she had been serving as the Desk Officer for Qatar based in Cairo.

 

Dr Bou Haka has received her Bachelor’s in Sciences-Biology from the American University of Beirut in 1983 and completed her Medical Doctor degree also from the American University of Beirut in 1987. She specialized in pediatrics and received her specialty diploma in 1991 from the American University Medical Center. In 1992, she obtained her Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Faculty of Health Science in the American University of Beirut.

 

In addition, she completed additional training and obtained different diplomas in disaster management, humanitarian programming, sphere standards training, leadership for emergency management and gender.