Have you heard of the name Professor Dr. Maha El Rabbat? She was appointed earlier this year as one of the six special envoys on COVID-19 by the World Health Organization, one of the only three Africans and two women appointed to the position. The special envoys are tasked to provide strategic advice as well as political advocacy in many parts of the world, and work closely with WHO Regional Directors and country offices to manage the global response to COVID-19. Previously, professor Dr Maha El Rabbat was appointed to serve as the Minister of Health and Population between July 2013 and March 2014, which made her the first lady minister of health in Egypt. She has long been an advocate for better health system governance and management and universal health coverage ever since. She graduated from Cairo University and was granted with her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with distinction. Following that, she held several prestigious academic and leadership positions, such as being the Head of the Public Health Department at Cairo University and worked as an international expert in governance reform regarding hepatitis C virus and novel diseases in…
