Dr Manica Balasegaram to take up position from mid-August Geneva
31 May 2011– After six successful years leading Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) Access Campaign, Dr Tido von Schoen-Angerer will today stand down from his position as Executive Director.
Dr von Schoen-Angerer will be succeeded by Dr Manica Balasegaram. Dr Balasegaram takes up his new role as MSF Access Campaign Executive Director in mid-August and will be based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr von Schoen-Angerer stepped into the role as Executive Director in September 2006 and leaves after 14 years with MSF, where he worked in different field and headquarters positions, from field doctor to Director of Operations.
Dr Balasegaram is currently the Head of the Leishmaniasis Clinical Program for Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), and brings to the role extensive experience in tropical medicine including malaria, sleeping sickness, and visceral leishmaniasis. He also has previous MSF experience as Head of the Manson Unit, a London-based medical research and implementation arm of MSF, and has held a board position with MSF Switzerland. Dr Balasegaram has also worked in MSF medical projects in Uganda, Sudan, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India and Bangladesh.
“On behalf of MSF, I’d like to thank Dr von Schoen-Angerer for his strong leadership of the Access Campaign as well as multiple other contributions to MSF over the last 14 years”, said Dr Unni Karunakara, MSF International President.
“I am delighted that Dr Manica Balasegaram will take over as leader of the Access Campaign and am confident that he has the experience to successfully build on past successes to increase access to essential medicines and medical tools”, Dr Karunakara said.
With Dr von Schoen-Angerer’s departure at the end of May, Access Campaign Deputy Director Daniel Berman will fill the role of interim Executive Director until Dr Balasegaram starts in his new role.