Geneva, 11 September 2012 – As of 10 September, Jerome Oberreit begins his tenure as Secretary General of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), while Dr Marc Gastellu Etchegorry takes on the new position of International Medical Secretary.

Jerome Oberreit has been working with MSF since 1994. Following work in Kenya, Somalia, Sierra Leone and Occupied Palestinian Territory, he has been managing medical–humanitarian activities from MSF’s Operational Centre in Brussels over most of the past decade.

The arrival of Oberreit marks the departure of Kris Torgeson, who has been MSF’s Secretary General since 2008. “I would like to thank Kris on behalf of the whole organisation,” said Dr Unni Karunakara, International President of MSF. “Kris has worked tirelessly for MSF for over 14 years. As Secretary General, she has played an essential role in harnessing collaboration among our many offices and leading the organisation’s governance reform process.”

The new position of International Medical Secretary aims to strengthen medical innovation and policy within MSF and increase the organisation’s engagement with the wider international medical community. Dr Marc Gastellu Etchegorry first worked with MSF in Angola and Uganda in 1986 and 1987, before taking on management responsibilities in Paris for MSF France. Since 2006, Dr Gastellu Etchegorry has worked for the World Health Organization and the French Public Health Surveillance Institute.

Dr Karunakara welcomed the new appointments: “Marc and Jerome each bring a wealth of experience to their new positions, and I am very much looking forward to working with them.”