Speakers - 2025

Dr. Lisa Indar is an innovative, visionary, results-oriented, public health leader with over 20 years of experience in regional and international public health. Her career is marked by robust leadership, strategic management, health diplomacy and an exceptional ability to forge multisectoral partnerships and to develop and coordinate multifaceted, regional and international health initiatives. Dr. Indar holds a PhD (with high commendation), MSc (Distinction), and BSc (Honors) with multidisciplinary qualifications.

Dr. Indar was appointed as the Executive Director of CARPHA as of February 2025, having served as the Ad Interim Executive Director of CARPHA from July 2024 , the Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control Division since 2019 and the Head of the Regional Tourism and Health Program (THP) from 2014.

Under her impactful stewardship, Dr Indar, coordinated the successful multi-faceted regional health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the health response post-Hurricane Beryl and other public health challenges like Mpox; strengthened partnerships with key regional and international health, tourism , agriculture and environmental agencies and developmental partners (e.g. WHO, PAHO, CDC, UKHSA, PHAC, CARICOM, IMPACS, CDEMA, RSS, OECS, IDB, WB, WHO, EU, CTO, CHTA, GRTCMC, CAFHSA, FAO) and chaired CARPHA Incident Management Team for Emergency and Response and the Regional Coordinating Mechanism for Health Security. Dr. Indar spearheaded the development and/or the implementation of Caribbean-tailored, innovative surveillance and response strategies, tools and programs, including the regional integrated surveillance strategy (linking human, animal and environmental health), the Regional Health Security (RHS) Framework ,Pathway and Mapping of priorities with Member States and partners, the Regional Pandemic Fund Grant (US16M) for improving pandemic preparedness and response and coordination in the Caribbean, a novel mass gatherings surveillance system and approach for June 2024 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, the integrated, ”one health” foodborne diseases and antimicrobial resistance programmes, a PAHO-CARPHA areas of collaboration, and other innovative surveillance and response mechanisms and tools for rapid and real-time response; working with CARPHA’s 26 countries, Governmental Ministers and Heads, and multisectoral national and regional stakeholders to safeguard public health while fostering economic resilience across the Caribbean region.

In addition to her executive role, Dr. Indar developed and directs the Regional Tourism and Health Program (THP), a novel, groundbreaking initiative, tackling health, safety, and environmental sanitation threats within the tourism sector. Under her guidance, the program developed confidential, real time early warning and response tourism surveillance tools , tailer training, regional guidelines, policy, hospitality standards, health and tourism and partnerships, comprehensive COVID-19 and other infectious diseases measures, food safety and regional travel guidelines, positioning the Caribbean as a premier safe and healthy destination. Her work not only enhances the health of visitors and local populations, but also supports sustainable tourism and economic recovery across the region, ensuring a safer and healthier future for Caribbean nations.

CARPHA is the sole, integrated, regional public health agency in the Caribbean, responsible for preventing disease, promoting and protecting health in the Caribbean through leadership, innovation and partnerships. CARPHA is mandated by its Intergovernmental Agreement to supports its 26 Member States in bolstering national systems and coordinating regional response to public health threats in the Caribbean.