Marthelise Eersel (born 6 April 1957) is a

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

se civil servant and physician. Previously the director of the Ministry of Health, she was director of the Suriname COVID-19 Crisis Management Team from July 2020 to May 2021.

Early life

Eersel was born in Amsterdam on 6 April 1957. Her father Hein Eersel was studying at the University of Amsterdam. They moved back to Suriname in February 1959, where her younger sister Rachel was born a few months later.

Education and career

Eersel trained as a physician at the University of Suriname. She also completed a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) at

Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine The Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is part of Tulane University, located in New Orleans, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. History The study of public health in Louisiana began in the early 19th century, when New Orleans suff ...

in 1989. She has taught public health and biostatistics at the Institute for Graduate Studies & Research of the

Anton de Kom University Anton de Kom University ( nl, Anton de Kom Universiteit van Suriname) is the only university in Suriname. It is located in the capital, Paramaribo, and named for Anton de Kom, an anti-colonialist activist who was killed by the Nazis while in exi ...

in Public Health, and was a director at the Ministry of Health. She represented Suriname on the WHO Executive Board. In July 2020, Eersel succeeded Cleopatra Jessurun as director of the national COVID-19 Crisis Management Team. She served in this position until May 2021. In 2020, the Marthelise Eersel Center was established in Nickerie. This medical centre, which specialises in treating chronically-ill patients, is a government agency as part of the One Stop Shop (OSS) Foundation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eersel, Marthelise Living people 1957 births Surinamese physicians Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine alumni Anton de Kom University of Suriname alumni Academic staff of Anton de Kom University of Suriname