Dr Riitta Dlodlo MD, DMCH, MPH has been promoted from her position as TB-HIV Programme Coordinator to Director of the Department of Tuberculosis and HIV. In this capacity, she’ll be responsible for managing all of The Union’s TB and HIV activities, with a large and expanding portfolio of programmatic work, and serve as the primary technical lead on some of The Union’s chief issues. She will also act as primary spokesperson for The Union on matters related to TB and HIV/AIDS and as lead technical liaison with global health agencies and government bodies.
A native of Finland, Dlodlo began her career as a physician in Zimbabwe in 1982, just as HIV/AIDS was becoming a public health concern—and before TB resurged in the country. As Bulawayo’s Director of Health Services, she oversaw all public health services for Zimbabwe’s second-largest city. During her career, she has amassed a wealth of clinical and managerial experience, including designing and implementing Zimbabwe’s response to a TB and HIV co-epidemic after joining The Union in 2003.
Commenting on the appointment, Dr Paula I Fujiwara, Scientific Director, said, “I’ve had the honour of knowing and collaborating with Riitta for 12 years. In that time I have come not only to rely on her deep technical and clinical expertise, but also to appreciate her remarkable ability to adapt to any given situation and then proactively improve it. She is eminently prepared to take on this role in a historic time, as we approach The Union’s centennial.”