Photo: World Economic Forum / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Margaret Chan held one of the most consequential jobs on the planet, leading the World Health Organization from 2006 to 2017, a stretch that included some genuinely frightening global health moments. Born in Hong Kong and trained as a physician in Canada, she rose through public service the hard way, and I find that trajectory compelling. Running the WHO is a thankless balancing act between science, politics, and diplomacy, and her tenure drew both praise and criticism, which honestly comes with any role that big. The Prince Mahidol Award and her clinical credentials speak to a career built on medicine first. Few people shape so many lives so quietly.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Margaret Chan
- Name (Japanese)
- 陳馮富珍
- Reading
- ちんふう・ふうちん
- Born
- August 22, 1947 (age 78)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Boar
- Origin
- Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
- Occupation
- physician / civil servant / politician / justice of the peace
2. Background
- University
- The Education University of Hong Kong
Awards & achievements
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London
- 2018 Pioneer of Reform
- 1998 Prince Mahidol Award
- 2021 Tatler Most Influential Hong Kong
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%99%B3%E9%A6%AE%E5%AF%8C%E7%8F%8D
Frequently asked questions
When was Margaret Chan born?
Born August 22, 1947 (age 78).
Where is Margaret Chan from?
Margaret Chan is from Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
What does Margaret Chan do?
Margaret Chan works as physician, civil servant, politician, justice of the peace.
Physician — see all → · Civil servant — see all → · More people from People's Republic of China →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.