OMS OPS Organización Mundial de la Salud Organización Panamericana de la Salud
  Description Mission Values Objectives History Governance References

The Maintenance and Development Agreement of BIREME institutionalizes the Center in Brazil since 1967. The cooperation is established between the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) / World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of Brazil, by means of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Secretary of Health of the State of São Paulo and the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP). Access the Agreement 007/2004 and its 16º Additional Term.

Starting in 2010, the agreement coexists with the new statute of BIREME approved in the 49º Directing Council of PAHO (CD49.R5) in October 2009 and of which are derived two legal instruments: the Agreement of Headquarters between PAHO and the Government of Brazil; and the Agreement of Installations between PAHO, Government of Brazil, and UNIFESP, where BIREME is placed. 

With the new statute, the following structure of BIREME’s governance has been being implemented: 


1 Membership of BIREME, defined in the categories:

a. Member States: all the Member States of PAHO. It includes the Member States, the Participating States, and the Associated Members of PAHO.

b. Participating States: Member States of WHO besides those that are Members of PAHO.

c. Participating organizations: public international organizations with specific qualification related to information and communication in the scientific and technical field.


2 Advisory Committee

Compound by PAHO and the Government of Brazil as permanent members and by five Member States of PAHO selected by the Directing Council from the Organization to every three years, being currently represented by Argentina, Chile, Jamaica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Its function is to make recommendations to the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau (PASB) on the programming functions, the plan of work and the financing of BIREME.


3 Scientific Committee: permanent organ of BIREME formed every three years by specialists in scientific information selected by the Advisory Committee of BIREME. Its function is to help in the development of the programming functions of BIREME.


4 Permanent Secretariat: organ of BIREME, compound by the Director of BIREME and by the technical and administrative teams. It is responsible for the management and execution of the institution programming functions.


5 Organizational chart

PAHO Director, Mirta Roses Periago

Deputy Director, Jon Kim Andrus

Manager of Knowledge Management and Communication, Marcelo D'Agostino

Director of BIREME, Pedro Andrés Urra González  

Manager of Administrative Management and Planning (GA), Silvia A. Valentin

  • ADM - Administration (Silvia A. Valentin)
  • CPP - Controllership and Processes (Fabrício Lima)
  • ITI - Information Technology Infrastructure (Marcia Y. Barretto)
  • CEI - Communication, Events and Interfaces (Patrícia Santos, Elenice Castro and Julio Takayama)


Manager of Methodologies and Information Technologies (MTI), Renato T. Murasaki

  • DES - Systems Development (Luciano Ramalho)
  • RST - Technical Support Network (Marcos Mori)
  • IRI - Interoperability of Associated Information Networks (Renato T. Murasaki)


Manager of Information Sources Administration (AFI), Adalberto O. Tardelli

  • OFI – Information Sources Operation (Marcelo Bottura)
  • TCS - Health Terminologies and Classifications (Arthur Treuherz)
  • IFI - Interoperability of Information Sources (Adalberto Tardelli)


Manager of Information Sources Production (PFI), Lilian Calò

  • FIR - Referential Information Sources (Luciano S. Duarte)
  • MIP - VHL Instances and Projects Monitoring (Cláudia Guzzo)
  • CCA – Scientific Communication and Evaluation (Lilian Calò)


Manager of Information and Evidence Cooperative Services (SCI), Verônica Abdala

  • SAU - Users Support Services and Training (Rosemeire Rocha Pinto)
  • SCAD - Cooperative Services for Accessing Documents (Marilda Perez)
  • AWS - Websites Administration (Verônica Abdala)


Managerial Committe (Adalberto O. Tardelli, Lilian Calò, Renato T. Murasaki, Silvia A. Valentin and Verônica Abdala)

  • Learning and Informed Environments
  • Content Management
  • TIC and Innovation
  • Project Management
  • VHL and Associated Networks