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Minister for Health Simon Harris TD has today congratulated Emer Cooke on being nominated as the new Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency.

Ms Cooke was nominated by the EMA Management Board at an extraordinary virtual session today and was chosen from a shortlist of candidates created by the European Commission.

Ms Cooke, an Irish national, is currently the Director of the Regulation and Prequalification Department at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, a position she has held since November 2016.

Speaking today, Minister Harris said:

I want to congratulate Emer on her nomination. This is an incredible achievement.

Emer has proven herself to be a leader in her field and we are delighted she has been nominated to take up this role at such an important time for healthcare and the EMA in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Department of Health looks forward to working closely with her over the coming months and years.

NOTES TO EDITOR:

Ms Cooke has 30 years’ experience in international regulatory affairs, 18 years of which were in leadership roles. She worked for the pharmaceutical unit of the European Commission from 1998 to 2002 and at EMA between 2002 and 2016, where she held positions including Head of Inspections and Head of International Affairs.

Ms Cooke holds a degree in pharmacy from Trinity College, Dublin in Ireland. She has additional Masters degrees in Science and in Business Administration, also from Trinity.