Devora Kestel MSc

Devora Kestel, Chief of the Mental Health and Substance Use Unit at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), has recently been appointed as the new Director of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the World Health Organization (WHO). She will be replacing Dr. Shekhar Saxena, who has served in this position since 2010.

Devora Kestel has more than twenty-five years of international experience in Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America, implementing and advising governments on national policies related to mental health systems. She is a strong advocate for the rights of people with mental health issues. Since joining WHO in 2000, Devora Kestel has worked at country, subregional and regional levels, in WHO and PAHO. In 2015, she became the Mental Health and Substance Use Unit Chief at PAHO. The different positions she occupied and the challenges she faced, give her a privileged perspective to now undertake global responsibilities.