Office of the Middle East
Contact:
Linda M. Hoffman
Director, Office of the Middle East
Office of Global Affairs
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Phone: (202) 690-6174, (202)-260-0399
Email: globalhealth@hhs.gov
The Office of the Middle East provides leadership and guidance on U.S. global health policy in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan that strengthen public health programs and research initiatives, and promote regional support for health priorities. Priority areas include: strengthening of health systems; infectious diseases; non-communicable diseases (NCDs); and emergency preparedness and response. We foster collaboration between our regional counterparts and HHS agencies, regional multilateral organizations, the private sector and civil society organizations to improve public health interventions at the programming and policy level in order create a safer, healthier world.
What We Do: Examples of Our Work
- Strengthening of Health Systems: The exchange of information between HHS and other Ministries of Health is an integral part of improving the health and wellbeing of Americans here at home. As one example of this technical exchange, OGA’s Office of the Middle East arranged for a Senior Economist from HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) to participate in a Health Economics Forum in Kuwait. The Office also coordinated HHS agencies to collaborate on a review and input of Kuwait’s national NCD strategy drawing on lessons learned from our experiences here in the US.
- MOU on Infectious Diseases: OGA’s Office of the Middle East facilitated collaboration on infectious diseases by organizing the signing of an overarching MOU between HHS and the Saudi Ministry of Health, which, among other things establishes a clinical trial network.
