Embedded Files
Women in Global Health (WGH) is working towards a world that values women as leaders in health. At the heart of this movement are country Chapters, linking global advocacy with local experience and establishing a network to strengthen global health.
Founded in January 2022, WGH Philippines plans to focus on three activities (Research, Mentorship, and Advocacy) and instill a learning process in this work. The emphasis and thematic focus could evolve as we improve our understanding of Filipino women’s participation in public health.
WGH Philippines is hosted by the Alliance for Improving Health Outcomes (AIHO).
Key Accomplishments
WGH-Ph was formally launched during the World Health Worker Week on 4-8 April 2022.
WGH-Ph member Lynnell Alexie Ong was chosen as one of WGH’s delegates to the 75th World Health Assembly held on 22-28 May 2022.
WGH-Ph’s Martha de la Paz provided a lecture on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression on 14 June 2022. This lecture was co-sponsored by WGH-Ph and hosted by AIHO, with the aim to be better allies to the LGBTQIA+ community.
The country chapter held its 1st Chapter Networking Activity on 10 September 2022.
WGH-Ph’s Martha de la Paz represented the country chapter in the historic WGH Peer to Peer Event in Nairobi, Kenya held last 24-28 September 2022.
Co-Convener Kim Sales was part of WGH's in-person delegation to the 76th World Health Assembly
Co-Convener Katherine Ann Reyes was selected as a Harvard LEAD Fellow for the 2023-2024 cohort.
Represented Women in Global Health at the 74th WHO WPRO Regional Committee Meeting and delivered a statement on health security.
WGH Microgrant Activities
WGH Philippines received a microgrant award from WGH and aims to implement the following activities from November 2022 to October 2023:
Understand
Scoping review to generate local evidence in the experience of Filipino women in public health
Policy review to identify policy provisions for Filipino women working in the health sector
Exploratory research to document the experiences of lesbian, bisexual, and trans women in public health in the Philippines
Profile women leaders in the public health sector to create awareness on the importance of women’s leadership
Networking
Networking events for identified and interested stakeholders
Meetings with government agencies and civil society organizations to identify opportunities for collaboration and partnership
Strengthen
Strategic planning to define the chapter’s goals and milestones
WGH Philippines: Call for research participants!
Are you a Filipino nurse with at least 2 years of experience? Join our short online survey on how digitalization and climate change are reshaping nursing work.
Fifty (50) participants will be randomly chosen to receive a gift voucher.
Make your voice count. Share your insights today!
Know a Filipino woman leader in health?
We are accepting submissions for Filipino women who have had an impact on the Philippine health sector at the national or local level. Submit names here.
WGH at the 2025 High Level Political Forum
Dr. Magda Robalo, Global Managing Director of WGH, called for civil society to be at the center of global health decisions — not to be consulted after the fact, but to lead, shape, and hold systems accountable.
WHA78: Annual count of women Chief Delegates
Despite global calls for more inclusive leadership, the 2025 data reflects a decline in women’s representation compared to recent years with only 26.6% compared to 32% in 2023. Moreover, the breakdown of female Chief Delegates by WHO region/countries highlights a notable gap in representation from low- and middle-income countries.
Fragmented Politics, Feminist Power: What WHA 2025 Means for Women in Global Health
As the 78th World Health Assembly unfolds, Women in Global Health delegates from Zambia, Nigeria, and India are championing feminist leadership for equitable, resilient health systems. From investing in frontline women workers to demanding gender-responsive UHC, WGH is reshaping global health diplomacy to center voices from the Global South.
Global Health Policy By The University of Tokyo
Dive into global health! This course covers key theories, challenges, and policy tools—from disease surveillance to health financing and UHC. Learn to apply quantitative methods to real-world global health issues.
Gender Equity Initiative in Global Surgery Mentors Application: Inspire, Guide, and Empower!
GEIGs is piloting a collaborative mentorship “pod” model, connecting mentors with up to 3 mentees at various training stages to foster shared learning and support. Medical students, residents, attendings, and physicians welcome! Commit to 6 sessions in 6 months. Flexible options available.
Call for papers! Gender Equity in Health
Call for papers! A special issue on Gender Equity in Health will be realed by Nursing & Health Sciences hoping to put a spotlight on innovative research that illuminates the intricate ways gender influences healthcare delivery, patient outcomes, and health policy design. Deadline of submissions: 31 October 2025.
Together for Prevention: handbook on multisectoral national action plans to prevent violence against women and girls
UN Women’s new handbook “Together for Prevention” gives governments step‑by‑step guidance to develop multisectoral national action plans that stop violence against women and girls before it starts, pairing the latest evidence with the RESPECT framework. It packs in practical tools, budgeting and monitoring checklists, and case studies from countries such as Australia, Cambodia, Fiji, Peru and South Africa to turn commitments into measurable impact.
Image: UN Women
Achieving gender justice for global health equity: the Lancet Commission on gender and global health
The Lancet Commission on Gender and Health brings together global experts to examine how gender power relations shape research, policy, and practice across all areas of health. Its ongoing work will culminate in a landmark report with recommendations to embed gender‑transformative approaches throughout the global health agenda.
Rollback & resistance: the fight for gender equality in global health
GEAR Up’s International Women’s Day blog spotlights the overlooked gender dimensions of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), showing how drug‑resistant infections hit women hardest at every life stage and amplify existing inequalities. It calls on governments to apply a gender lens to AMR data, policy, and care so that efforts to curb resistance also empower women and girls.
Image: Gear Up
COVID was the rehearsal
When a sudden US aid freeze halted health and food programmes worldwide, philanthropy’s lightning‑fast COVID‑19 playbook did not re‑appear. Community‑health leaders writing in Stanford Social Innovation Review warn that restraint now feels like abandonment and call on funders to “share the risk” through larger, trust‑based, multi‑year grants, higher payout rates, and collaborations that channel money swiftly to frontline, Global‑South‑led groups.
Costs and cost-effectiveness of community health worker programs focussed on HIV, TB and malaria infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries (2015–2024): A scoping literature review
A new scoping review in PLOS Global Public Health analysed 33 economic evaluations (2015‑2024) of community‑health‑worker (CHW) programmes tackling HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in low‑ and middle‑income countries. Across 106 scenarios CHW models were usually more cost‑effective than facility‑based care, especially for improving treatment adherence and reaching high‑priority groups. Reported costs ranged widely (US $1.20 – 26 556 per beneficiary) and methods were highly variable, so the authors call for standardised economic reporting and research on affordability to guide future investment.
Image: Community Health Impact Coalition
The state of healthcare systems for women with disabilities in 2025
The Missing Billion Initiative’s latest review draws on more than 150 studies to give the first global snapshot of health for women with disabilities. It documents stark gaps in outcomes and access, shows how major international guidelines still overlook this group, and showcases practical examples of inclusive care. The report ends with concrete recommendations to steer health systems toward equity.
Trust, science, and public health: pathways to restoring confidence in health systems
A recent Health Systems Global blog argues that post‑pandemic recovery depends on repairing the public’s confidence in science and public‑health institutions. It highlights three priorities: clear, transparent communication to counter misinformation; inclusive decision‑making that gives communities a voice; and investment in strong primary‑care systems that deliver reliable, equitable services. Together, these steps can close the widening trust gap and make future health responses more resilient.
Image: Women Lift Health
LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the global health policy agenda: A critical discourse analysis of the Lancet Commission report archive
A PLOS ONE critical‑discourse analysis found that only 35 % even mention LGBTQIA+ communities, and few references appear in executive summaries or recommendations. Most discussion is limited to HIV/AIDS and sexual‑reproductive health, leaving broader health needs invisible; the authors urge future commissions to adopt a strengths‑based, inclusive approach that centres LGBTQIA+ perspectives throughout policy documents.
Global immunisation monitoring in times of drastic cutbacks
In The Lancet, Rau et al. warn that funding cuts are hitting two fronts at once: routine vaccination programmes and the surveillance networks that detect drops in coverage and early outbreaks. As measles, polio, and other vaccine‑preventable diseases resurface, dismantling monitoring systems risks masking the true cost of these budget reductions and delaying rapid response. The authors urge governments and donors to ring‑fence resources for coverage surveys, laboratory confirmation, and rapid‑response teams so decades of immunisation gains are not lost.
State of the world's nursing report 2025
The new report shows the global nursing workforce grew from 27.9 million in 2018 to 29.8 million in 2023 and the projected shortage has fallen from 6.2 million to 5.8 million nurses. But 78 % of nurses still serve just 49 % of the world’s population, leaving low‑ and middle‑income countries with the deepest gaps. WHO and partners call for bigger domestic investment in training and retaining nurses, while urging high‑income countries to manage retirements and rely less on recruiting from nations already facing shortages.
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