Dr Roderico H. Ofrin
Dr Roderico H. Ofrin currently serves as the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative for Northern Micronesia, covering the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Based in Pohnpei, FSM, Dr. Ofrin assumed this role in October 2025, bringing with him over two decades of experience in public health, emergency response, and health systems strengthening across the WHO South-East Asia and Western Pacific Regions.
Before his current appointment, Dr. Ofrin served as WHO Representative to India (2020–2025), where he led a team of over 3,000 personnel supporting the Government of India’s COVID-19 response. Under his leadership, WHO India played a pivotal role in administering over 2 billion vaccine doses, deploying 4,000 oxygen concentrators, and strengthening health logistics across all 36 states and union territories.
He championed the development of real-time disease surveillance tools, including the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP), and helped restore routine immunization to record levels of post-pandemic. His tenure also saw WHO India advance digital health, expand NCD care at the primary level, and support disease elimination efforts for TB, measles-rubella, kala-azar, malaria, and trachoma. Dr. Ofrin prioritized equity, directing cross-programme support to India’s most underserved “aspirational blocks,” ensuring health goals reached those who needed them most.
Earlier, as Regional Emergencies Director for WHO South-East Asia, he led responses to major crises including Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the Rohingya refugee crisis, and the beginnings of the COVID pandemic. During his stint in the regional office for the emergencies program, he contributed to shaping emergency preparedness and response in the Region through the development of key regional mechanisms such as the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF) and the Regional Benchmarks for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
Dr. Ofrin began his WHO career in 2000 as a Public Health Officer in Timor-Leste, where he helped establish foundational health systems in a post-conflict setting.
Dr. Ofrin is a specialist in public health emergencies and disaster risk management. He holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of the Philippines and a Master’s in Public Health from the Hebrew University Hadassah, Israel. He has been recognized with the WHO Director-General’s Reward for his work in the response and recovery for the 2015 Nepal Earthquake (2016) and for his leadership of WHO India during the pandemic (2021).
Dr. Ofrin continues to be a strong advocate for integrated, resilient, and equitable health systems, particularly in vulnerable and underserved communities across the Pacific.
