Ali S. Khan, MD, MPH, dean of the UNMC College of Public Health, has been appointed as a member of the technical advisory group for polio eradication for Afghanistan and Pakistan, convened by the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Region.
The technical advisory group serves as the principal independent technical advisory body guiding polio eradication efforts in the two countries where wild poliovirus transmission remains endemic. The group provides expert, evidence-based recommendations to national ministries of health and partners within the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, helping shape policies, strategies and on-the-ground operations aimed at ending polio transmission.
As a technical advisory group member, Dr. Khan will advise on the overall progress toward stopping poliovirus transmission, strategies to improve vaccination coverage and disease surveillance, approaches to strengthen community engagement and reduce vaccine hesitancy, and opportunities to better integrate polio efforts with broader health services. Members participate in in-person and virtual meetings and provide ongoing technical guidance to regional and country leadership.
The appointment is made under the authority of the regional director of the World Health Organization, which oversees public health coordination across its Eastern Mediterranean Region. The WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region spans 21 countries and territories, covering parts of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, and plays a central role in disease prevention, emergency response and strengthening health systems in complex and often fragile settings.
Dr. Khan said eradicating polio is not merely a technical challenge, but also a moral imperative and one of the ultimate tests of global solidarity.
“I am honored to join this advisory group to help write the final chapter of a disease that has haunted humanity for millennia,” Dr. Khan said. “This appointment brings my decades of experience from the CDC and the frontlines of public health directly to the world’s most critical public health mission.”
Dr. Khan said the appointment also reflects the University of Nebraska’s deepening commitment to global health security.
“Our college is increasingly recognized as a hub for the expertise required to solve the world’s most complex health threats. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Afghanistan and Pakistan to ensure that no child, in any corner of the globe, ever faces the threat of paralysis from this vaccine-preventable disease again.”
Dr. Khan’s selection recognizes his expertise in public health leadership and his commitment to advancing global health equity. His contributions to the technical advisory group will support one of the world’s most critical public health goals: achieving and sustaining a polio-free world.