Countries in Latin America were hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. On this episode of Pandemic Proof, Amanda Glassman welcomes Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., candidate for Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), to the podcast to discuss impacts and lessons learned. Together they reflect on the politicization of the public health response, the importance of health system surveillance, and the role of regional entities like PAHO and national regulatory agencies in vaccine regulation and rollout.