The 18th World Congress on Public Health is co-chaired by Prof. Luis Eugenio de Souza (WFPHA) and Dr. Harsha Somaroo (PHASA), two distinguished leaders who bring deep expertise and a strong commitment to advancing public health. They will guide this year’s Congress with a shared vision of innovation, equity, and global collaboration.
Prof. Luis Eugenio De Souza
Luis Eugenio Portela Fernandes de Souza holds a degree in Medicine from the Federal University of Bahia – UFBA (1987), a master's degree in Community Health from UFBA (1996) and a PhD in Public Health from the Université de Montreal (2002). He is an associate professor at the Federal University of Bahia. He has experience in the field of Public Health, with an emphasis on Health Administration, working mainly on the following topics: health policy and management, judicialization of health and diffusion of innovation and use of scientific knowledge.
From January 2005 to June 2007, he served as municipal secretary of health in Salvador-Bahia and, from December 2008 to July 2009, as director of the Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Health. From November 2012 to August 2015, he was president of the Brazilian Association of Collective Health. From May 2022 to May 2024, he was President of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. Since November 2021, he has been the Collective Health Institute director at UFBA. Since 2019, he has held a Research Productivity Scholarship (level 2) from the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development.
Dr. Harsha Somaroo
Harsha Somaroo is a Public Health Medicine Specialist with a diverse background in clinical care, HIV research, health management, and public health. Currently, she is employed at the National Health Insurance Branch of the South African National Department of Health. Her qualifications include a medical degree, a fellowship in Public Health Medicine, a Master of Medicine in Public Health Medicine, a Master of Science in Epidemiology, a Diploma in HIV/AIDS Management, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education.
As the immediate past president and an ex-officio board member of the Public Health Association of South Africa, she actively supports the local and global advancement of public health. She also serves as a member of the College of Public Health Medicine at the CMSA, where she chairs the PHM Curriculum and Assessment Practices sub-committee, and on the board of the Global Climate and Health Alliance. She is passionate about improving health outcomes, strengthening health systems, and promoting health equity, in the context of our changing environment.