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A united call for gender equity in global health leadership

Nature Medicine volume 30, pages 2386–2387 (2024)Cite this article

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Despite constituting 70% of the overall global health workforce, women hold only 25% of health leadership roles1. With progress towards equality2 projected to be painfully slow, the health sector must urgently address the systemic factors that hold women back.

The world increasingly relies on the expertise of global health leaders to tackle challenges that transcend borders and sectors. However, health systems can only advance equitable and just programs and policies if the underlying inequities that affect the system’s ability to perform, especially that of the health workforce, are systematically addressed. This is why a fundamental transformation in global health leadership is needed. Health systems must invest in and elevate emerging women leaders in global health to foster innovative solutions and perspectives to tackle complex global health challenges, and ultimately to provide effective, sustainable and equitable health outcomes worldwide.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Catherine Moughalian, Malvikha Manoj.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Global Health Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Catherine Moughalian

  2. Eastern Mediterranean Region, International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening, Beirut, Lebanon

    Catherine Moughalian

  3. International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Malvikha Manoj & Flata Mwale

  4. Women in Global Health UAE, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Malvikha Manoj & Deena Mariyam

  5. Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Aysha Farwin

  6. South East Asia Region, International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening, Singapore, Singapore

    Aysha Farwin & Jumana Hashim

  7. School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa

    Bettina Buabeng-Baidoo

  8. International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening, Pretoria, South Africa

    Bettina Buabeng-Baidoo

  9. EngenderHealth, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Bisrat Dessalegn

  10. Africa Regional Hub, International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Bisrat Dessalegn & Deena Mariyam

  11. The George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi, India

    Deepika Saluja

  12. Women in Global Health India, New Delhi, India

    Deepika Saluja

  13. Women in Global Health Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

    Flata Mwale

  14. Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil

    Flávia Virginio

  15. Women in Global Health Brazil, São Paulo, Brazil

    Flávia Virginio & Laurenice de Jesus Alves Pires

  16. Centre for Global Mental Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    Joy Muhia

  17. European Region, International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening, London, UK

    Joy Muhia & Laura Haywood

  18. Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions (BISI), National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Jumana Hashim

  19. Americas Regional Hub, International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Lakshmi Menon & Marali Singaraju

  20. Faculty of Public Health, London, UK

    Laura Haywood

  21. Americas Regional Hub, International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening, Boston, MA, USA

    Lauren Tejkl

  22. National School of Public Health Sergio Arouca (ENSP), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Laurenice de Jesus Alves Pires

  23. Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Marali Singaraju

  24. Americas Regional Hub, International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Marali Singaraju

  25. YourEgyptianDoula, Cairo, Egypt

    Merette Khalil

  26. Women in Global Health Egypt, Cairo, Egypt

    Merette Khalil

  27. Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre (HHCC), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    Rita Rasoa Sakari

  28. The Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE), Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Rita Rasoa Sakari

  29. Africa Regional Hub, International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening, Nairobi, Kenya

    Rita Rasoa Sakari

  30. Palestinian Medical Relief Society, Ramallah, Palestine

    Sabreen AbeedAllah

  31. Eastern Mediterranean Region, International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening, Ramallah, Palestine

    Sabreen AbeedAllah

  32. Global Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Salome Maswime

  33. Women in Global Health South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa

    Salome Maswime

  34. Salient Advisory, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Somto Chloe Keluo-Udeke

  35. Africa Regional Hub, International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening, Abuja, Nigeria

    Somto Chloe Keluo-Udeke & Taofeekat Adigun

  36. Centre for Community Resource, Health and Social Development (CCRHSD), Makurdi, Nigeria

    Taofeekat Adigun

  37. Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    Taofeekat Adigun

  38. School of Medicine, George Town University, Washington, DC, USA

    Roopa Dhatt

  39. Women in Global Health Washington DC, Washington, DC, USA

    Roopa Dhatt

Authors
  1. Catherine Moughalian
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  2. Malvikha Manoj
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  3. Aysha Farwin
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  4. Bettina Buabeng-Baidoo
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  5. Bisrat Dessalegn
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  6. Deena Mariyam
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  7. Deepika Saluja
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  8. Flata Mwale
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  9. Flávia Virginio
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  10. Joy Muhia
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  11. Jumana Hashim
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  12. Lakshmi Menon
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  13. Laura Haywood
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  14. Lauren Tejkl
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  15. Laurenice de Jesus Alves Pires
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  16. Marali Singaraju
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  17. Merette Khalil
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  18. Rita Rasoa Sakari
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  19. Sabreen AbeedAllah
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  20. Salome Maswime
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  21. Somto Chloe Keluo-Udeke
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  22. Taofeekat Adigun
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  23. Roopa Dhatt
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Malvikha Manoj.

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Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Cite this article

Moughalian, C., Manoj, M., Farwin, A. et al. A united call for gender equity in global health leadership. Nat Med 30, 2386–2387 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03192-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03192-3

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