Johan Carlson [M.D., Ph. D., D.T.M. & H], took up office as the first Director General of the Public Health Agency of Sweden in 2014. The Agency is a merge between The Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control and The National Public Health Institute. It is an expert authority with a broad responsibility for public health issues at a national level, including both communicable and non-communicable diseases as well as environmental health issues. The Agency develops and supports activities to promote health, prevent illness and improve preparedness for health threats. It is involved in many international projects as well as bilateral projects with countries in Asia and Africa. Dr Carlson is the former Director General of the Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control (2009-2013). In 2005-2009 he served as Director for the Supervision of Health Services at the National Board of Health. He has a background in clinical medicine (infectious diseases and tropical medicine). In addition, he has held research positions at the Karolinska Institute in the 1990s and has served as an expert in the field of public health and communicable disease control at the European Commission (1998-2001). Dr Carlson is member of the Management Boards of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). He is also the Swedish representative in the European Union Steering Group on Promotion and Prevention.