[3] Etienne graduated with a degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica.

She held a master's degree in community health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK.

[9] On 27 September 2017, Etienne was re-elected for a second five-year term as Director of PAHO by the Member States of the organization.

[4] Dr. Etienne is credited for leading efforts by the World Health Organization's Pan American bureau, PAHO, to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the Americas.

She is also credited for the organization's campaigns against cholera and yellow fever outbreaks in the countries of Haiti and Brazil.