Dr Emilie Van Deventer

Over the centuries, most cultures have recognized the Sun as source of all life on Earth. Only recently has tanning become a fashion requiring preventive messages to explain the obvious, that it is dangerous to burn your skin.

Emilie van Deventer is the team leader of the Radiation Programme at the World Health Organization. This programme covers the public health aspects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation safety. She is responsible for the WHO InterSun programme which provides information on the health impact of UV exposure and guidance to national authorities on effective UV awareness programmes.  Before joining WHO, she was a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto, Canada. She holds a PhD from the University of Michigan, USA and received a doctorate Honoris Causa from the University of San Marcos, Lima, Peru in 2014.