Across the public and global health sector, 2025 brought setbacks that challenged even the most resilient teams: funding shortages, stop-work orders, weakened institutions, and growing mistrust. Yet GHC leaders continue to stay the course, grounding themselves in a long-view commitment to health equity and to one another.
Reflections from Our CEO
Sixteen years ago, Global Health Corps (GHC) was founded on a belief that challenges convention even today: leadership is a powerful lever for realizing health for all. Leadership isn’t an elite status or title to be achieved. It’s a daily practice of aligning action with values and influencing others to advance shared goals, even in the face of immense challenges.
Right now, that belief matters more than ever. Health systems worldwide are under siege, with resources and workforces stretched thin. The people building infrastructure and delivering programs are being asked to do more with less.
Across Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and the U.S., more than 1,300 GHC leaders are proving what’s possible when those closest to communities have the power to shape them. They’re strengthening data systems, confronting the health implications of climate change and gender inequality, and reimagining supply chains so essential resources arrive where they’re needed most.
From maternal health to mental health and beyond, their work spans every dimension of health systems, and the impact ripples outward. As they rise into mid- to senior-level leadership roles, they’re reshaping how their organizations approach change and influencing policy with fresh perspectives.
We don’t have time to wait for the “right” leaders to emerge from traditional pipelines. The leaders we need are already here. When we equip them with skills and resources, connect them to networks, and amplify their voices and visions for change, transformation follows.
Despite the challenges, I believe wholeheartedly that investing in the next generation of leaders is key to transformation, today and for many years to come. Let’s keep going.
With gratitude,
Heather Anderson, CEO
2025 in Review
When crisis hit, the GHC community mobilized. Within weeks of sector-wide funding cuts and stop-work orders, our network became a lifeline. WhatsApp groups flooded with job opportunities. Alumni made strategic introductions across organizations and borders. 75% of alumni collaborated with at least one other GHC leader this year—proving that investing in individuals creates movements.
Our leadership development programs get results:
- 97% of fellows reported increases in key leadership competencies during the 9-month program.
- 100% of supervisors said fellows were positive or critical to organizational success.
- 91% of GHC leaders remain in the health sector at twice the rate of their peers, with 79% in mid-to-senior leadership roles.
Alumni are driving systems change. In Malawi, 70+ leaders partnered with the Ministry of Health on the first Youth Mental Health Conference. In Zambia, Natasha Chikalipa opened the country’s first female-only mental health rehab center. In Uganda, Precious Mutoru convened the first Private Sector Engagement Summit for reproductive health.
Technology meets humanity. Gideon Abako and Timothy Kavuma were selected for Elrha’s Humanitarian Innovation Fund to scale AI tools for humanitarian crises — designed with frontline workers to strengthen rather than replace human capacity in low-resourced settings.
Looking Ahead
None of this happens alone. To our partners, funders, and supporters who stood with us through one of the sector’s most challenging years — thank you. Your commitment to investing in emerging leaders, especially when resources are scarce, is what makes this work sustainable.
The road ahead won’t be easy, but we’ve seen what’s possible when leaders have the support they need to rise to the moment. We’re determined to keep equipping them — through every challenge, every uncertainty, every opportunity to transform health systems. Let’s keep going, together.
