Marcolino Gomes Candau (30 May 1911 – 23 January 1983) was a Brazilian doctor who served as director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) from 1953 to 1973.

Candau was born in Rio de Janeiro and studied medicine at the Rio de Janeiro State University and worked at the state department of Health before pursuing Masters in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

In 1952, he moved to Washington as Assistant Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau—the WHO Regional Office for the Americas.

[3] As Director-General, Candau was influenced by his previous work in Brazil's malaria control program.

He presented the case for global malaria eradication at the World Health Assembly meeting in Mexico City in May 1955.