She was formerly Director, Division of Noncommunicable Diseases and Promoting Health through
the Life-course at the WHO Regional Office for Europe (Copenhagen, Denmark), Head of Secretariat
for the Global Coordination Mechanism on the prevention and control of noncommunicable
diseases (WHO GCM/NCD) at WHO Headquarters (Geneva, Switzerland) from its inception in 2014
as well as a former CEO of the Southern and Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority.
Dr Mikkelsen is trained as a Gynaecologist and Obstetrician and holds a Master’s degree in Health
Administration and Management from the University of Oslo.
Her current focus is on achieving the SDGs through the reduction of premature deaths from NCDs
in the context of WHO General Programme of Work, and working across sectors with
multistakeholders, within and beyond the health sector using innovation, implementation research,
health literacy and new technologies.
Updated: May 2022