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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 focuses 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 and Activities
Since our founding in January 2022, WGH Philippines has grown into an active hub for advancing gender equity in the country's health sector. Highlights include:
Research and advocacy - Publishing a landmark policy review on women's leadership in Philippine health, presented at international conferences and published in the Review of Women's Studies
Global representation - Representing the Philippines at multiple World Health Assemblies and the WHO Western Pacific Regional Committee, advocating for gender equity in global health governance
Community and capacity building - Hosting forums, mentorship programs, and short courses on feminist leadership, LGBTQIA+ health equity, and career navigation for women in health
Storytelling and visibility - Launching social media campaigns spotlighting Filipino women health leaders, publishing op-eds and blogs in national and international outlets, and producing our new podcast, Her & Now: Stories from Women in Public Health
We continue to grow this work through partnerships with government agencies, academic institutions, and civil society organizations committed to a more equitable health sector for all.
WGH Microgrant Activities
WGH Philippines received a microgrant award from WGH and aims to implement the following activities:
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
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.
Her & Now: Stories from Women in Public Health
Women hold up the global health sector, yet gender gaps still shape who gets paid, protected, and heard. "Her & Now: Stories from Women in Public Health" is a podcast by WGH Philippines spotlighting the voices and stories of women working in health in the Philippines. Through honest conversations with frontline workers, scholars, and advocates, we explore how gender, power, care, and leadership intersect in our health systems—and what it will take to change them. New episodes every 3rd Friday of the month.
S1E1: What Is Feminism? Reclaiming the Word in Health with Sabrina Gacad
What is feminism? What does it mean to show up and take space to champion it? Assistant Professor Sabrina Laya Gacad shares her perspectives and experiences working as a feminist in the health sector, and how feminism pushes the conversations for gendered care and health equity.
S1E2: What Policies Say and Why the Glass Ceiling Holds for Women in Health with Lynnell Ong
What do our laws actually say about gender equality and women’s leadership? Where do they fall short? Researcher and policy advocate Lynnell Ong shares findings from her recent policy review on the Philippine health sector, and how deep-seated social norms and workplace systems continue to keep women out of the rooms where decisions are made.
Gender Equality Laws Alone Won’t Fix Who Leads Health
WGH Philippines' Kim Sales and Lynnell Ong make a case in Science Politics that the gender authority gap in health isn't a failure of legislation — it is the outcome of a political and economic system built to extract women's labor without sharing power with them.
Abstract Submission: HSR2026 The 9th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research
HSR2026 invites abstract submissions for its global symposium, centered on four themes: Politics and Polycrises, Plurality and Partnerships, Platforms and Participation, and Pathways and Planet. The conference welcomes sessions that advance health systems research theory and practice, with submissions in English due by 19 April 2026. Participation is limited to one organized session role and one individual abstract presentation per person.
Integrating Sex and Gender in Health Research and Policy
This six-week course addresses the urgent need to integrate sex and gender into health research, challenging the longstanding “male default” that has led to inequities in evidence and health outcomes. Designed for researchers, clinicians, and policy professionals, it equips participants with practical skills to meet emerging global standards for rigorous, inclusive, and equitable health research.
AI is already rewriting reality for billions of people. It is getting women wrong.
A study of 133 AI systems found that 44 per cent demonstrated gender bias and 26 per cent demonstrated both gender and racial bias. Yet only 51 per cent of marketers currently use human oversight to test AI-generated creative before release. UN Women calls for gender equality and the rights and experiences of women and girls to be embedded at every stage of AI life cycle from development, deployment, and governance.
Number of students in higher education more than doubled in 20 years, but inequalities remain
The number of students enrolled in higher education worldwide has more than doubled over the past two decades, reaching 269 million in 2024. Women now outnumber men in higher education but lag behind at doctoral level. Read the full report to dive deeper into how equity, quality, and financing remain pressing challenges in attaining higher education.
Advancing women's health through equity in quantitative sciences: promoting sex- and gender-based modeling in clinical trials and real-world studies
Gaps in our understanding of the impact of sex and gender in health outcomes have profound consequences for women. A new Frontier's article dives into this by promoting a sex- and gender-based modeling.
Why women should be at the helm of health emergency leadership
Women comprise 70% of the health workforce but hold only 25% of emergency leadership positions. Read the opinion piece of Sharon Salmon from WHO-WPRO as she pushes for global health systems to recognize women’s participatory, empathetic leadership style to improve future crisis responses.
Invest in women’s health, invest in tomorrow
Advancing gender equality and ensuring equitable access to health services for women and girls is not only critical for achieving universal health coverage (UHC) but also for building stronger communities and economies worldwide. Read the UHC2030’s 2023 State of UHC Commitment review to know more about the current landscape of gender equity in UHC globally.
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