Susan Pineda Mercado MD, MPH Leadership | Vision | Service Dr Susan Mercado is a medical doctor and public health expert with over 30 years of experience. For 15 years, she had a distinguished career with the World Health Organization, Western Pacific Regional Office where she led the response to some of the most complex challenges of public health today—noncommunicable diseases (including tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity); climate and health; malnutrition; violence and injuries; disability; mental health and substance abuse; maternal and child health; and urban health and inequity. Previously, she was Undersecretary and Chief of Staff of the Department of Health, Republic of the Philippines. Currently she was 2018 Special Envoy of the President for Global Health Initiatives and now works full time with the Philippine Red Cross, as Deputy Secretary General in charge of Centers for Health in Humanitarian Action with oversight of primary health care, blood services, dialysis, water sanitation and hygiene, welfare services and safety services/injury prevention. Dr Mercado has degrees of A.B. Philosophy (magna cum laude), Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health from the University of the Philippines. She was named Distinguished Alumni in Global Health by the University of the Philippines in 2017. In 2018, she was recognized as one of the 100 most influential Filipina women in world in the category of Innovator and Thought Leader by the US-based Filipina Women’s Network.