Welcome to the Media Center of the International Trachoma Initiative

Subject Experts

ITI has Subject Experts with expertise in a wide range of topics on trachoma, NTDs, the SAFE Strategy, trends in public health and more. Please contact us to arrange for an interview with any of our Subject Experts.

Bios

Ibrahim Jabr, President
Ibrahim Jabr was named President of the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) in November  2007.  He joined ITI in 2005, serving first as vice president for programs and then as interim president of the organization.  With extensive experience in utilizing public health education and social mobilization to address global health issues, Mr. Jabr played a major role during ITI’s 2005 strategic planning process to create more effective strategies that prevent and eliminate trachoma, the world’s leading cause of preventable blindness.  Mr. Jabr also inspired ITI to become a catalyst in expanding the WHO-sanctioned SAFE strategy into trachoma endemic countries and build partnerships with governments and NGOs committed to eliminating blinding trachoma by 2020.

Prior to joining ITI, Mr. Jabr spent 30 years with UNICEF where he was directly responsible for program planning, implementation and monitoring while posted in Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.  He worked at UNICEF’s Headquarters in New York from 1987-1994 as Senior Program Officer in the Evaluation Office and later as Senior Program Officer in the Geographic section.  From 1995-2003, Mr. Jabr served as UNICEF’s Representative in Iran, then in the D.R. Congo, Ethiopia and Pakistan.  He is fluent in Arabic, English, and French and has basic knowledge of Spanish, Farsi, and Amharic.  He received a Master of Agriculture in Food Technology & Nutrition and a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology from American University of Beirut.