Jeremy Farrar, MD, PhD, announced yesterday he would step down from his role as assistant director-general to the World Health Organization (WHO).
He has made no public comment on his decision to resign, but colleagues told The Telegraph he was increasingly frustrated with the bureaucracy of the organization.
Farrar was director of the Wellcome Trust from 2013 to 2023 and has also been a professor of tropical medicine at the University of Oxford. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Farrar became more publicly known as a member of the United Kingdom’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, WHO director-general, sent an email to WHO staff, obtained by The Telegraph, which said Farrar would be replaced by Bruce Aylward, MD, PhD, who currently serves as a senior advisor to Tedros.
In his email to staff, Tedros wished Farrar well, writing, “Dr Farrar has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to science and public health at the highest levels, and we are grateful that he chose to bring his experience, energy and conviction to WHO.”