Meena Cherian

World Health Organization

Meena Nathan Cherian, MD, a professor in anaesthesiology, leads the Emergency and Essential Surgical Care program and is the World Health Organization (WHO) secretariat for the Global Initiative for Emergency and Essential Surgical Care, in the Department of Essential Health Technologies, Health Systems and Services, World Health Organization, Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland. She graduated from Christian Medical College Ludhiana, India, and then worked a rural hospital in India providing surgical, obstetrics, and anaesthesia services. Dr. Cherian specialized in anaesthesiology at Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore, India and joined the teaching faculty. She has trained, worked, and taught anaesthesia in various hospitals in USA (Johns Hopkins Hospital), Africa, and Southeast Asia. Dr. Cherian has worked as an anesthesiologist in various surgical specialties (cardiac, neuro, pediatrics, urology, obstetrics, orthopedics, and trauma) at the Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore, India, prior to joining the WHO.