George Alleyne

Sir George Alleyne (born in St. Philip, Barbados, on 7 October 1932) served as United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean region 2003-2010. He was appointed to the position by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in February 2003.

George Allanmoore Ogarren Alleyne was born in 1932 in St. Philip, Barbados, to a mother who was a homemaker and a father who was an elementary school teacher. He studied medicine at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and graduated as the gold medallist in 1957. Subsequently, he pursued his postgraduate training in internal medicine in the United Kingdom and the United States. In 1972, he became Professor of Medicine at UWI. In 1976, he was appointed Chairman of the Department of Medicine. In October 2003 he was appointed Chancellor of the University of West Indies.

Besides his academic experience, Alleyne also gained much experience in working for international organizations. In February 1995, he became Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO). He served two four-year terms in this position until the end of January 2003 and was elected Director Emeritus.

Alleyne was made a Knight Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990. and awarded the Order of the Caribbean Community in 2001-the highest honor that can be bestowed on a Caribbean national. In October 2008 he received the Science of Peace Award from the Inter American Heart Foundation.