Making a difference
Marc Sprenger MD PhD
Candidate Regional Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe It is my pleasure to introduce you to our candidate for the WHO Regional Office for Europe, Marc Sprenger MD PhD
For the Netherlands, the World Health Organization (WHO) is a most important and inspiring organisation. The WHO sets standards in a large variety of health fields and provides technical support where it is needed the most.
WHO as an organisation is as influential and strong as the people who work for it. The Netherlands wishes to contribute to the organisation not only in financial terms – as one of the top donors – but also through active participation. We would like to actively invest in the leadership of the WHO through Marc Sprenger. Why is Marc Sprenger an outstanding candidate for the post of Regional Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe?
He has many years of hands-on experience in all aspects of the health system. He is a doctor, a medical specialist with a dual track in infectious diseases and health systems, a researcher and a translator of science into practice. At the political level he is adviser to different ministers. Moreover, he has practical experience in transforming health systems as he was at the centre of developing and implementing the recent comprehensive reform of the Dutch health system.
Secondly, he has twenty years of international experience, as a researcher, as Chairman of the Management Board of the European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control (ECDC) and as an active Member of the Executive Board of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI).
Thirdly, he has fifteen years ofmanagement experience being the responsible administrator of the respective organisations he led. Dr Sprenger knows how to attract and to inspire qualified staff and how to make organisations financially solid.
Throughout his career, Marc Sprenger has shown that he can make a difference. He is eager to provide the Regional Office with a new future. He plans to modernise the Office, build bridges with all relevant parties and introduce new health system concepts. In this brochure, Marc Sprenger will share with you his vision and incentives to stand as a candidate for the post of Regional Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
We hope the Member States of the WHO European Region are ready to choose a different future!
Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
To me, Marc Sprenger is one of Guiding principles those reliable cornerstones of There are three guiding principles that I would use to realise Public Health in action. my agenda: The way RIVM takes leadership 1. Offer a ‘tailored approach’ instead of ‘one size fits all’; in crises like the current outbreak 2. Make a difference by focusing on implementation of of the new Influenza A(H1N1) strategies and resolutions; demonstrates the intimate 3. Learn from the past. connection between expertise
and active, trustworthy risk
management.
Ab Klink, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, the Netherlands My agenda for the next five years
The Regional Office is the number one partner for Member States, other WHO offices, the European Union and many other parties to increase public health. I would therefore work to achieve the following tangible results within the next five years.
1. Responsive health care systems This will require improving or reforming national health systems at several levels: equitable access, organisation, insurance and/or reimbursement, professional quality, and public trust. The Tallinn Declaration provides a good foundation to build upon, but WHO will need to provide further guidance to Member States on how to actually fulfil their stewardship roles.
2. Primary health care in the driver‘s seat Repeating the Alma Ata message and last year’s World Health Report, primary healthcare needs to be put back in the driver’s seat, as it plays an essential role in effectively dealing with today’s major health problems. Working with other countries, 3. Put your money where the chronic problems are No less than 86% of all mortality in the Region is due to non-communicable Marc gave wide counsel diseases whereas relatively few resources are spent on ways to address this. Prevention policies can be effective in many cases, for example by reducing and guidance, alcohol abuse and cigarette smoking and by promoting healthier lifestyles.
whilst respecting their 4. Planet, people, pandemic preparedness - a balanced approach This includes creating region-specific control measures, increasing vaccination independence and coverage, fighting the spread of antibiotics resistance, improving surveillance, early-warning systems and syndrome surveillance, increasing crisis control unique situation. capacity overall and helping Member States to implement the International Health Regulations. Prof. Pat Troop, former Chief Executive of the Health Protection Agency, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Instruments to realise my agenda
To realise my agenda, I would use the following instruments:
1. Further build the office (motivated staff and financially solid);
2. Build bridges between East & West and science & society;
3. Help build stronger health systems that deliver what they promise.
1. Further build the office (motivated staff and financially solid) First, I would like to focus on further building the office. The Regional Office critically depends on the knowledge, skills and motivation of its experts. If elected, I will bring fifteen years of experience in motivating and building ‘healthy’ organisations. Paying attention to and involving staff is a hallmark of my leadership style. I manage organisations using transparency, openness, participation, delegating responsibilities, and building trust and confidence. I put particular emphasis on performance management. Strong performance needs to be rewarded, and those who underperform need to be challenged. The Regional Office should be lean and mean. Regarding communication, Marc always impressed me with I want to listen and connect with my staff. I am most happy when I see employees sparkle and grow. his dynamism, work capacity and 2. Build bridges commitment to public health. I strongly believe in building bridges. Throughout my career, my diplomatic, political, intercultural and strategic skills, coupled with broad technical It was during a remarkable visit expertise, have allowed me to help form strong alliances with a wide variety of partners and parties. It is my top priority to connect on different levels. to a shantytown in Rio de Bridging East and West Janeiro, that I discovered his The Regional Office needs to bring countries together to exchange ideas, develop a common understanding, promote collaboration and find new extraordinary social sensibility. solutions for the benefit of all. It is my experience with the International Association of National Public Health He is, for sure, a leader in Institute (IANPHI) that linkages among members to share solutions and increase resources lead to stronger public health systems. Horizontal learning works. global public health. Bridging science and society Paulo Buss, In bridging science and society the essential crossing happens at political levels former President and Director in Member States. For example, much scientific expertise is available on health of FIOCRUZ Center for Global Health, inequalities and obesity. Most health improvement therefore will be gained by National Institute of Public Health, translating this knowledge into action plans that will be successfully implemented. Brazil In my current position as Director General of the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), I managed to transform the Institute from a research-dominated organisation into one that brings science to society. By making research more accessible and applicable to professionals, politicians and citizens, we have been able to increase the value of our work considerably.
Bridging different WHO offices The Regional Office is part of the WHO family. The essence of family is that its members experience lifelong relationships, which they can build on. As within real families, however, good communication is essential. The Regional Director has a crucial role in building bridges with other WHO family members and making sure these relationships are mutually beneficial. My primary agenda in this respect would be to help disseminate headquarters’ expertise within countries and societies of the WHO European Region, provide the Office’s region-specific expertise and focus on tailor made implementation.
Global co-operation, local implementation In today’s world, it is essential to build and maintain international co-operation networks. My credo has always been: ‘Why make things difficult when we can also work together?’ We should be pragmatic in this. We need to learn how to complement each other’s efforts and not to duplicate them. My agenda includes the promotion of integrated approaches towards close co-operation with other UN institutions, Marc is not only the European Commission and other parties that are contributing to global public health. The Regional Office has the authority to co-ordinate highly competent, health programmes in which many organisations participate. Interagency co-ordination meetings can be set up in order to share good practices. I also he is also gifted think more interactions and cross-fertilisation is possible with the hosting country of Denmark and the city of Copenhagen. to surround himself 3. Help build stronger health systems that deliver what they promise by skilled people The third element of my agenda would be to help building stronger systems. Throughout my ten years of hands-on experience in health systems, I learned and so achieve how difficult but vital it is to further build a functional health system. Focus points for the Regional Office would be to show public health leadership on the impossible. health systems by facilitating monitoring and forecasting, providing information on the burden of disease, supporting Member States in the development of Prof. Rajae El Aouad, their health systems and providing training to Member States. Often there is no Director National Institute of Hygiene, quick fix to the problem. Hard work and collaboration with promising contacts Morocco and programmes, however, together with experience and a pragmatic, down-to earth approach, will help. In my position as Director of Health of the National Insurance Board, I was at the heart of a major and successful reform of the health system in the Netherlands. We helped safeguard quality, accessibility and affordability of healthcare with minimal regulation. Short term targets
The agenda described above has a time span of five years. In order to make a difference to the Office in the short term, I have formulated eleven targets that I would like to reach within already one year. These short term targets are available on the following website: www.marcsprenger.nl Final remark
My scientific expertise and my experience as a medical doctor and subsequently as a leader of national and international public health institutions, have prepared me to take on a leading role in the WHO Regional Office for Europe. I stand ready to take the responsibility for further building the office, building bridges and help building stronger health systems. I hope the Member States of the WHO European Region are ready to choose a different future!
Marc Sprenger and Ab Klink, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands ‘I strongly believe in the UN. Because the UN is the best forum to discuss and decide upon worldwide issues, like global health. That is why our country is among the top ten financial contributors to the UN. But equally important is the human capital. That is why we believe that the UN should be supported with prime human resources, and why we present Marc Sprenger. In my opinion, Marc is the top candidate for a top WHO position.’
Maxime Verhagen, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands Марк Спренгер с семёй Marc Sprenger
Doctor In my heart I am a ‘doctor’. It is the profession I chose when I was eighteen and has been the essence from which I worked ever since
Connect Realising change succeeds when I am able to reach the heart and the mind of the other
Great people I surround myself with great people, people that are better than me in specific areas. And I am proud of them
Inspiring confidence Trust is an essential ingredient in co-operation
Opportunity A crisis is not just a crisis but also an opportunity to bring the best out of people, including myself
Driven I’m not afraid of the mud
Awakening I always try to have breakfast with my wife and children. Our moment together Curriculum vitae of Marc Sprenger MD PhD
Employment history 2003 – present Director-General (CEO), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands 2008 – present Member of the Executive Board of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) 2004 – 2008 Chairman of the Management Board, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden 1999 – 2003 Director of Health, Healthcare Insurance Board (CVZ), Diemen, the Netherlands 1993 – 1999 Head of the Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands 1991 – 1993 Director of the WHO National Influenza Centre, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands 1990 – 1993 Associate Professor of Virology at the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Education 1993 Registered as PhD Epidemiologist 1988 – 1992 Specialisation in Medical Microbiology 1990 PhD, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands 1988 Medical Doctor, Maastricht University, the Netherlands Dr. Sprenger’s attention and International health assignment of priority Dr Sprenger has been a member of many national and international to noncommunicable disease committees on communicable diseases and public health. He has been National Delegate to the World Health Assembly and to the WHO Regional prevention and Committee for Europe on a number of occasions. He is closely involved with several countries serving as an adviser and co-authoring a framework for the control is what we have been development and enhancement of national public health institutes. long awaiting in the Scientific achievements field of international public Dr Sprenger has authored, co-authored or contributed to more than hundred health. publications. His academic publications include work in diverse areas such as epidemiology, influenza, virology, health economics and antimicrobial Prof. Igor S. Glasunov, MD, resistance. Head of the Department of Prevention Strategy and Regional Programmes Development, National Centre of Preventive Medicine, Russia Marc Sprenger at one of the ‘open breakfasts’ that he regularly organises for his staff Co-workers say A challenging and inspiring boss, Marc will leave room for experience, initiative and response.
He is able to step aside from existing ways of working and create new forms of effective and efficient cooperation.
He has the professional knowledge to guide, the personal attitude to listen, the management experience to act effectively and the political skills to lead. Making a difference
www.marcsprenger.nl
phone +31 (0)30 274 25 76 e-mail [email protected]