World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
Dr Alexander Butchart is a native of South Africa. Prior to commencing work with WHO in May 2001, he was an Associate Professor at the University of South Africa’s Institute for Social and Health Sciences. After completing his MA in Clinical Psychology in 1986, he worked as coordinator of a neurotrauma outpatient clinic until 1989. He completed his doctorate in 1995. He was a founder member of the Injury Prevention Initiative for Africa, and from 1998 to April 2001 was lead scientist for the South African Violence and Injury Surveillance Consortium.
Dr Butchart co-ordinates the Prevention of Violence Team (PVL). His main task is to implement the recommendations of the World report on violence and health. This involves the development of technical guidelines, policy papers and research that can be used to support applied prevention programmes and advocate for increased investment in violence prevention. Specific projects include country-level violence prevention demonstration programmes, the systematic documentation of violence prevention programmes, and research into the economic dimensions of interpersonal violence, including the costs of its consequences and the cost-effectiveness of preventive programmes.