IAN Stein is passionate about international health, having worked in the field for thirty-three years of which close to eighteen years have been at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO). Today he serves as the PAHO/WHO representative to Jamaica, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. However, his entry into international health came via an unlikely route.

“I was on track to attend law school but I was very unsure if it was the right path. With time on my hands after graduating from university, and no need to stay in Canada for another winter, I moved to Central America to learn Spanish. Building on my earlier studies on sustainable development, I focused on international development at grad school. After graduating, I had an offer to work with Global Affairs Canada’s evaluation department. The rest is history,” shared the international health expert.

Stein lived and worked in Nigeria with CUSO International, and in Honduras with the Canadian Red Cross. Since joining PAHO in 2004 he has served in several roles, including senior advisor in external relations and partnerships, deputy incident manager for the Americas for COVID-19, and deputy incident manager for the Americas for the Zika virus. He also supported the emergency response in Haiti immediately after the 2010 earthquake and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the Ebola outbreak in a conflict zone.

Since arriving in Jamaica in September 2021 Stein has been based at the PAHO/WHO Country Office in Kingston developing key relationships, engaging stakeholders, and reviewing evidence-based solutions to support local health priorities in Jamaica, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. A quick chat with him will reveal that he is an avid storyteller, a serious bread baker, and a self-confessed foodie. However, his true strengths lie in developing and maintaining partnerships for health, the management of health crises, and his expertise in a broad range of public health topics including immunisation, early child health, health promotion, environmental health and HIV/AIDS.

“Our health impacts all aspects of daily life. This fact makes national health-care priorities extremely important — they guide the work of primary health-care centres in delivering routine immunisations, supporting pregnant mothers, implementing sexual health interventions, and offering care in the aftermath of natural disasters. On a broader scale, health-care priorities also allow us to mitigate the impact of climate change and global warming as the Caribbean experiences more heatwaves and an increase in vector-borne infections such as dengue,” he stated.

When asked about PAHO/WHO’s health priorities in Jamaica, Stein reinforced the organisation’s role of supporting the Ministry of Health and Wellness’s priorities with effective and impartial strategies, and he also values the pivotal role that civil society organisations play in reinforcing health. Amongst others, the passing of updated tobacco control legislation, preparing for possible future emergencies and pandemics, reinforcing Jamaican efforts to tackle noncommunicable diseases, and tackling the challenge of steadily increasing health sector costs, all these are best addressed by the strengthening of relationships between the many actors’ important efforts underway to support local health outcomes.

“PAHO/WHO’s key value is offering evidence-based solutions for dealing with health challenges. The lessons learned in other countries can inform Jamaican solutions. I am keen to use this approach to support Jamaica’s ongoing COVID-19 response, its strategy for NCDs and mental health, as well as to improve access to health services.”

He continued: “At the organisation’s country office we are very mindful of our role to be a health ally, supporting the ministry’s ‘Vision 2030 for Health’. Tremendous efforts are underway to advance universal health coverage.”

December 2, 2022 will mark the 120th anniversary of PAHO in the region. Commenting on the upcoming anniversary, he said, “We at PAHO are excited to celebrate with Jamaica and the 120 years of health achievements, collaborating with and supporting the countries of the Americas to improve the health and well-being of their populations. Through our celebrations we will continue to champion pro-equity strategies for universal access to health and the importance of resilient health systems as we work to recover and rebuild after the [novel coronavirus] pandemic.”

Having lived in many different countries, Stein has enjoyed his twelve months living and working in Jamaica as the PAHO/WHO representative.

“Jamaica has many things to love — the food, the people, the sunshine. The character of Kingston is different from Negril or that of Portland, and I’m excited to call Jamaica home for the coming years.”