Before joining WHO/Europe, Dr Bassiri was Director of Planning, Resource Coordination and Performance Monitoring at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. She also held the positions of Senior Executive Officer in the WHO Director-General's office and, in the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Coordinator for Programme Management and Country Focus and Regional Adviser for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion. Dr Bassiri has over 22 years of experience working for WHO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.