Nicolas Isla, a microbiologist with an MSc in Technology and Innovation Management from the University of Sussex. Over the span of 15 years, he has dedicated his career to the field of global health security and public health preparedness and response. His extensive experience in WHO spans a number of areas. He was technical lead for health preparedness at major events like the FIFA World Cup and Olympics, as well as various sporting, religious, and cultural gatherings. Cementing the need for multisectoral collaboration.
He has also operated at the nexus of health and security; Nicolas has concentrated on preparing for and responding to deliberate caused health threats. He has collaborated with international organizations such as the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, and Interpol. At the WHO HQ, he served as the focal point for alert and response under the International Health Regulations (IHR).
During the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Nicolas led WHO's operational efforts, overseeing readiness initiatives in high-risk countries and leading missions to more than 15 countries and deploying more than 500 individuals. He also led WHO's work on developing a toolkit for after-action reviews within the framework of IHR monitoring and evaluation in 2016.
In March 2018, Nicolas transitioned to the role of Team Lead for Capacity Monitoring and Evaluation within the WHO Health Emergency Programme at the WHO Regional Office for Europe. His team focused on assisting Member States in implementing comprehensive assessments for IHR core capacity building, including State Party Annual Reports, Joint External Evaluations, simulation exercises, and incident reviews. Nicolas facilitated the development and endorsement of national action plans for health security across WHO European Member States, with the goal of securing sustainable funding for prevention, preparedness, and response to health emergencies across sectors and partners.
Nicolas Isla is a Senior Health Specialist in the Pandemic Fund Secretariat coordinating and working primarily with the Pandemic Fund Technical Advisory Panel.
