Belizean Doctor Wins PAHO Award

The Technical Advisor for the Maternal and Child Health Unit of the Ministry of Health, Doctor Natalia Largaespada Beer, was conferred with the 2018 Pan American Health Organization Award for Health Service Management and Leadership at the fifty-sixth PAHO Directing Council Meeting in Washington, D.C.  The PAHO Award Committee selected Doctor Beer from a group of eight nominees from countries including Bolivia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and Belize. The committee highlighted that Doctor Beer has shown, “considerable achievements in the area of Maternal and Child Health, having proven to be a strong supporter in the use of data for decision-making on policies and programs.”  Doctor Beer’s contributions to strengthen evidence-based, and people and community-centered public health strategies to improve the lives of people in vulnerable areas of Belize was also highlighted.  As the winner of the award, Doctor Beer received a diploma and a cash prize of five thousand U.S. dollars. Previous winners of the award are from Cuba, Costa Rico, Mexico and Uruguay.