Merceline Dahl-Regis, CMG OD, is a Bahamian physician and

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

expert. She is the former Chief Medical Officer of the Bahamas and has been recognized for her role in advancing public health in the Caribbean and internationally.

Biography

Dahl-Regis earned her medical degree from the

University of West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

in the 1960s, becoming one of the first women to graduate in medicine in the Bahamas. She earned a degree in public health from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

. She completed a residency in

paediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

, where she subsequently accepted a faculty position. Returning home to the Bahamas, Dahl-Regis obtained a position at Princess Margaret Hospital. She was appointed Chief Medical Officer of the Bahamas in 1997. In 2009, Dahl-Regis was awarded the

Pan American Health Organization The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency working to improve the health and living standards of the people of the Americas. It is part of the United Nations system, serving as the Regional Office for ...

Award for Administration, for her contributions to health care management, research, and medical education. She was credited for her innovations to the public health system, including the introduction of non-medical administrators to public health clinics so that medical staff could focus on delivering health care. She was also recognized for her management of a malaria outbreak within the tourism industry. In 2010, Dahl-Regis was appointed to chair an international expert committee responsible for verifying the elimination of

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

rubella Rubella, also known as German measles or three-day measles, is an infection caused by the rubella virus. This disease is often mild, with half of people not realizing that they are infected. A rash may start around two weeks after exposure and ...

and

congenital rubella syndrome Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) can occur in a developing fetus of a pregnant woman who has contracted rubella, usually in the first trimester. If infection occurs 0–28 days before conception, the infant has a 43% risk of being affected. If t ...

in the Americas. In 2016, the committee declared the Americas free of

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

measles, following a 22-year

vaccination Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...

drive. In 2018, Dahl-Regis was presented with the PAHO Public Health Hero of the Americas award. At the ceremony, Bahamian Prime Minister

Hubert Minnis Hubert Alexander Minnis, ON (born 16 April 1954) is a Bahamian politician and doctor who served as Prime Minister of the Bahamas from May 2017 to 16 September 2021. Minnis is the leader of the Free National Movement, the former governing party, ...

commended Dahl-Regis on her efforts to eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases. The same year, she was named an Officer of the Bahamian Order of Distinction. In 2020, during the global

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Dahl-Regis coordinated the Bahamian government's COVID-19 task force.

Selected works

* * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dahl-Regis, Merceline Living people Bahamian physicians Bahamian women Caribbean women physicians University of the West Indies alumni Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health alumni Howard University faculty Year of birth missing (living people)