Dr Mona Al-Mudhwahi
With deep sadness and sorrow, we announce the passing of our dear colleague and friend, Dr Mona Al-Mudhwahi, on 16 November 2024.
Dr Al-Mudhwahi first joined WHO in 2001 as a technical officer in the Yemen country office. In 2005, she was appointed health systems and programme officer in the same office, in which role she made significant contributions to strengthening health systems and improving healthcare delivery. In 2017, she was appointed public health officer in Somalia, where she worked tirelessly to address pressing public health challenges in the emergency context. In 2019, she was appointed health policy advisor and Universal Health Coverage life course team lead at WHO Kenya, contributing her expertise to advancing Universal Health Coverage across the WHO Africa Region. In 2024, Dr Al-Mudhwahi was appointed senior health advisor at the WHO Jordan country office, where she continued to demonstrate unwavering commitment to improving health outcomes and health policy.
Throughout her career, Dr Al-Mudhwahi was known for her deep professionalism, collaborative spirit and tireless dedication to work. Her passing is an immense loss to all of us. She will be remembered for her exceptional leadership skills, her wealth of knowledge, as well as her kind and compassionate nature. She leaves behind a legacy of service to public health and commitment to the WHO mission.
The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and the entire WHO family extend our heartfelt condolences to her family. May God Almighty grant her soul eternal rest and comfort her family and loved ones during this difficult time.
Dr Abdullah Saleh Assa’edi
With profound sadness, we announce the passing of our esteemed colleague,
Dr Abdullah Saleh Assa’edi, on 6 December 2024, in Muscat, Oman.
Dr Assa’edi dedicated 2 decades of his life to working with WHO, beginning in 1995 as a programme officer in Yemen, and later as country representative in Sudan in 1996 and in Syria and Jordan from 2000. In 2002, he joined the WHO/EMRO as a regional adviser for programme development, and was subsequently appointed assistant regional director, and in 2010 as deputy regional director. In both capacities, he provided policy, strategy development and managerial support to the regional office. In 2012, he was appointed country representative in Oman, a role he held until his retirement in 2015. Post-retirement, Dr Assa’edi served as senior adviser to former regional director, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, and was instrumental in shaping the Vision 2023 regional strategy and led its midterm review in 2021.
Before joining WHO in 1995, Dr Assa’edi held several positions at the Ministry of Public Health in Yemen, as director of health programmes, monitoring and evaluation; acting assistant deputy minister; and as undersecretary of health planning and development.
Throughout his career, Dr Assa’edi was pivotal in advancing public health priorities and policies, strengthening health systems, nurturing and coordinating partnerships, and contributing to the elimination and eradication of key diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Dr Assaedi is survived by 3 daughters and a son. The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and the entire WHO family extend our heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace.
