Toomas Palu is currently advising the WHO team in Ukraine in strengthening health systems and financing. He is also lecturing on global health in the Tartu University's Institute of Public Health and Family Medicine. Until August 2023, Toomas was the the Adviser on the Global Health Coordination in Geneva to the Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population of the World Bank. Before moving to Geneva, Toomas was the Global Practice Manager for the World Bank’s US$1.3B health portfolio in the East Asia and Pacific Region (equivalent to WHO WPRO) and a team of 43 health and development professionals. In both above roles, Toomas was a member of the World Bank Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice leadership team. In his prior engagements, he led World Bank health programs in several countries in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union, served as a Director in the Estonia Social Health Insurance Fund Management Board and as a Deputy Director of the Tallinn Emergency Care Hospital in Estonia. After an earthquake in Armenia in 1988, Toomas served as an emergency physician in the epicenter region, his most morally and spiritually rewarding experience. Toomas’ work has mostly focused on health reforms and health systems strengthening in low and middle-income countries, including health financing, service delivery, financing pandemic preparedness among others. Toomas has a cum laude Medical Doctor degree from the Tartu University in Estonia and a Master of Public Administration degree from the Harvard University in the US. He has also studied public policy and medical sociology in the Oxford University and health economics in the University of York in the UK.