Dana Bryson, Board Chair of World Child Cancer, celebrates Dr. Gevorg Tamamyan’s candidacy for WHO Director-General, highlighting the commitment, compassion, intellectual curiosity, and dedication she has witnessed throughout their friendship and professional collaboration.
Dana Bryson shares on LinkedIn:
“Funny, fair, devoted to his family, and boundless intellectual curiosity – that’s the Dr. Gevorg Tamamyan I know as a friend and colleague and I wholeheartedly endorse him for Director-General of the World Health Organization.
Commitment, compassion, and the energy to act on them – I’ve seen those qualities in him firsthand.
When we first met in Budapest at SIOP Europe, the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE), what struck me was where Gevorg – as an accomplished pediatric oncologist, practitioner, researcher, professor and administrator was directing his passion: making cancer information more accessible globally.
He saw information access as a need and Co-Founded OncoDaily to meet it.
We’ve since collaborated on the ACT 4 Children Initiative to increase access to cancer medicines for children in low- and middle-income countries.
At the recent SIOP Asia conference in Mongolia – which he chaired as President of SIOP Asia, he made sure the experiences of survivors and advocates from low- and middle-income countries were brought to the forefront.
And during the few free hours during the conference, while some of us visited museums or caught up on emails, Gevorg and his wife and fellow physician, Lilya, traveled outside the city to meet children and families and hear firsthand about their experiences.
If commitment is a quality you’re looking for, there it is.
That willingness to show up, listen, and learn reflects the intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness I value in his leadership.”
About Dana Bryson
Dana Bryson serves as the board chair at World Child Cancer USA, where she revolutionized their global strategy by partnering with the WHO and pharma giants like Amgen. Under her leadership, this market-shaping oncology push delivered $2.3 million in free, life-saving cancer medicines to vulnerable children in Asia and Central America in just three months – part of a framework aiming to save six million lives.
Concurrently, she advises organizations on large-scale societal shifts as the founder of Kindness and Grit. Previously, she directed the global healthcare partnerships that laid this groundwork at ACT for Children Foundation. Before her oncology focus, she served as Senior Vice President of Social Impact at Study.com, engineering the award-winning Keys to the Classroom initiative to diversify the K-12 teacher pipeline
About Dr. Gevorg Tamamyan
Dr Gevorg Tamamyan, MD, MSc, PhD, DSc, FASCO, is a prospective candidate for the post of Director-General of the World Health Organization, nominated by the Republic of Botswana. He is a global leader in oncology, health systems strengthening, and international health cooperation, recognized for building bridges between countries and advancing equitable cancer care in resource-limited settings.
Dr. Tamamyan is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology at Yerevan State Medical University and CEO of the Immune Oncology Research Institute (IMMONC).
He is the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of OncoDaily, one of the world’s largest oncology media platforms, created to democratize access to reliable, independent, and evidence-based cancer information globally.
Dr. Tamamyan was elected and currently serves as President of two major international pediatric oncology organizations: the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) Asia Continental Branch, representing pediatric oncology professionals across Asia, and the Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean (POEM) Group, uniting 28 countries and 110 cancer centers. He also serves as Co-Chair of the St. Jude EURO Regional Advisory Committee, encompassing 13 European countries.
At the age of 32, Dr. Tamamyan was appointed Head of the Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Armenia, where he led the consolidation of previously fragmented pediatric oncology and hematology services into a single national center. Under his leadership, the Center evolved into a regional reference point, with survival rates reaching up to 80%.
He also co-founded City of Smile, a national pediatric cancer charity that helps ensure universal coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of every child and young adult with cancer in Armenia.
Dr. Tamamyan is Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Cancer and Crisis and an adviser to the Rector of Yerevan State Medical University. He previously served as President of the Harvard Club of Armenia.
Educated and trained across seven countries in Europe, North America, and Asia, his professional journey spans frontline clinical practice, research, academic leadership, national cancer center management, global health diplomacy, and institution building.
He is the recipient of numerous international awards and distinctions, including Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO); ASCO LIFe and IDEA Awards; UICC and IARC Young Leader Awards; the 40 Under 40 in Cancer Award; the Latin American and Caribbean Society of Medical Oncology (SLACOM) Award for Global Oncology Leadership; and the Global Health Catalyst Distinguished Leader Award.
He is married and has two daughters, Charlize and Letizia.
Dr Gevorg Tamamyan is Nominated as a Candidate for WHO Director-General Position
Watch HRH Princess Dina Mired’s interview with Dr. Gevorg Tamamyan: The Man Who Challenged Cancer Hierarchies