Events
In partnership with others committed to equity, GHC hosts a range of webinars, salons, town halls, and other events open to the public to promote connection, learning, and inspiration. We welcome you to catch up on past conversations and join us for upcoming events!
- Webinar
Shift Happens: Community-Centered Approaches to Public Health Challenges
On November 28th, GHC alumnus Steven Miti led a conversation with a panel of GHC alums working in community health. Throughout the panel, alumni discussed community-centered approaches to public health, the role they play in solving public health challenges, and the gaps and solutions to implementing community-centered approaches.
Moderated by: 2022-2023 Zambian fellow Steven Miti, Project Officer, On Call Africa
Featuring:
- Yombo Tankoano, Sr. Technical Director of Programs, cmmb
- Innocent Chansa, MPH, 2021-2022 fellow, Technical Advisor–Behavioral and Social Change, PATH
- Claire Espey, MPH, 2011-2012 fellow, Community Health & Governance Expert
Recording:
Nov 28 2023
- Webinar
Shift Happens: Improving Maternal Healthcare for BIPOC
In the U.S., Black women are three times more likely to die from childbirth than white women. Outcomes for AAPI, Indigenous, and Latina women are similarly as low.
On June 27th, GHC’s U.S. Community Impact Senior Coordinator Dr. Ariel Arguelles led a conversation with a panel of GHC alums working in maternal health. Throughout the conversation, they discussed effective ways to create a more inclusive healthcare system and reduce maternal mortality for Black women and women of color.
Moderated by: Dr. Ariel Arguelles, U.S. Community Impact Senior Coordinator, Global Health Corps
Featuring:
- Dr. Abiola Abu-Bakr, DNP, 2019-2020 fellow, Co-Founder of ÀBĪYÈ Collective
- Angelica Recierdo, MS, BSN, 2016-2017 fellow, Senior Editor, Doximity
- Gaby Romero, 2018-2019 fellow, Registered Nurse, Doula, and Nurse-Midwifery Student, University of Alabama-Birmingham
Recording:
June 27 2023
- Panel
Breaking Barriers: Learning from the Challenges Faced by Women in Leadership
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern caught the attention of millions around the world for her rare leadership approach — combining boldness with empathy and decisiveness with humility. She was just 37 when she was elected to the job, and she was only the second world leader ever to give birth while in office. During her term, she faced unprecedented misogyny and recently announced her resignation, driven by burnout.
In global health as in politics, women — and especially women of color — are vastly underrepresented in top levels of leadership. They also face similar gendered challenges as they rise in their careers, including burnout and persistent stereotypes. Yet we urgently need their expertise, their strengths, and their leadership to achieve health equity. How can we create a more inclusive environment to ensure that women can succeed and thrive as they work to transform health systems? And how can we invest in a new generation of global health leaders of all genders who are equipped to lead with humanity?
Pictured above — moderator and speakers, from left to right:
Lola Adedokun, Executive Director, Aspen Global Innovators Group and co-Chair of the Aspen Institute Forum on Women and Girls
Sherry Hakimi, Founder and Executive Director of genEquality
Jacqueline Musiitwa, Nonresident fellow, Atlantic Council’s Africa Center; Aspen New Voices Fellow; Senior Climate Advisor, USAID
Dr. Tanya Jones, Managing Director at Results for Development
Heather Anderson, CEO of Global Health Corps
Thank you to all who were able to join Global Health Corps and Aspen Global Innovators Group virtually and in-person for this important conversation. Missed the conversation? Want to dive more deeply into women’s leadership and the gender gap in global health and development?
- Read “Advancing Gender Equity through Global Health Leadership Development” by Heather Anderson
- Read “I Want More Leaders to Lead as PM Ardern Did” by Bailey Borchardt, GHC’s Communications Coordinator
April 4 2023
- Webinar
Shift Happens: Advancing Equity to End the AIDS Pandemic
On December 9th, GHC alumnus Brian Ahimbisibwe moderated a conversation on what it will take to finally end the AIDS pandemic. As an Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Ambassador, Brian works to reduce stigma and increase access to HIV care. As a husband, dad, and friend, his personal experiences motivate him to work for an AIDS-free generation.
Four decades into the HIV/AIDS response, inequities still persist for basic services like testing, treatment, and prevention, and even more so for new technologies. In the wake of COVID-19, these inequities are getting worse — UNAIDS reports that progress in addressing the HIV pandemic has faltered, resources have shrunk, and millions of lives are at risk as a result. Where do we go from here?
Moderated by: Brian Ahimbisibwe, 2019-2020 fellow, Ambassador, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Uganda
Featuring:
- Dorothy Mkwezalamba Kayange, 2014-2015 fellow, Facility Linkage Coordinator, Jhpiego, Malawi
- Belia Longwe-Ng’andwe, 2017-2018 fellow, Senior Associate–HIV Prevention, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Zambia
Recording:
Dec 9 2022
- Webinar
Shift Happens: Leveraging Telehealth to Achieve Health Equity
Telehealth is the delivery of health care services by healthcare professionals through using information and communication technologies (ICT) for the exchange of valid and correct information. Telehealth became a basic need for the general population, health care providers, and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when people are in quarantine, enabling patients in real-time through contact with a health care provider for advice on their health problems.
There are various benefits to using the technology of telehealth, especially in non-emergency / routine care and in cases where services do not require direct patient-provider interaction. However, there are barriers to implementing these programs. In this discussion, we will talk about: what is the role of telehealth services in preventing, diagnosing, treating, and controlling diseases? How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the adoption of telehealth? What are the barriers to accessing telehealth? What are the ways to bridge these gaps?
Moderated by: Jonathan Mtaula, 2012-2013 fellow, Manager; ICT & eHealth, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Malawi
Featuring:
- Aaron Shapiro, 2011-2012 fellow, Primary Care Doctor, Unity Health Care, U.S.
- Brian Ssennoga, 2013-2014 fellow, Partnership Specialist, African Region, Medic, Uganda
- Jenna Zitaner, 2017-2018 fellow, MBA/MPH Candidate, Dartmouth College, U.S.
Recording:
Sept 9 2022
- Town Hall
Leadership as a Lever for Change: Advancing Health Equity in COVID-19’s Wake
As the world navigates year three of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have a fleeting chance to proactively strengthen health systems by building more diverse, collaborative health leadership. What kind of leadership traits are needed to meet today’s challenges and create a more equitable future? How can health leaders amplify their impact by working together across lines of difference?
Come hear from rising health leaders from Malawi, Uganda, and the U.S. on how they’re engaging in the inside-out process of cultivating professional growth and catalyzing collective, sustainable change in their communities. The conversation will be moderated by Lauren Rengel, Vice President and Secretary, Adtalem Global Education Foundation and Director of Sustainability & Government External Relations for Adtalem Global Education.
Moderated by: Lauren Rengel, Vice President and Secretary, Adtalem Global Education Foundation and Director of Sustainability & Government External Relations for Adtalem Global Education
Featuring:
- Mary Ajwang, 2015-2016 GHC fellow; Program Officer at USAID, Uganda
- Charles Rominiyi, 2015-2016 GHC fellow; Associate Director of Health and Compliance, KIPP D.C., U.S.
- Funny Kamanga, 2020-2021 GHC fellow; Community mHealth Specialist, Partners in Health, Malawi
Recording:
May 18 2022
- Webinar
Shift Happens: Understanding Climate Justice
During this installment of Shift Happen’s, alumni and leaders in the fight against climate change discussed the social, moral, ethical, and economic effects of climate change, how these effects disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, and the measures that should be taken for more inclusive and just climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Moderated by: Shaban Senyange, 2016-2017 fellow; Wildlife Health and Conservation Media Specialist
Featuring:
- Sophia Boehm, 2015-2016 fellow; Research Associate, Climate, World Resources Institute
- Tara Daniel, 2013-2014 fellow; Senior Program Manager, Women’s Empowerment and Development Organization
- Reuben Wambui, Africa Regional Lead, United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative
Recording:
May 11 2022
- Panel
Learning from the past to move forward: Systems don’t have agency, people do
From Ebola to COVID, history has shown that a powerful tool for systems change is cultivating the individual and collective potential of proximate leaders. This panel, featuring global leaders in health and education, highlighted how proximate leaders exercised their agency and mobilized their communities in moments of crisis to address systems gaps. Hear their views on what it will take to strengthen health and education systems for pandemic preparedness and gain insights into how leadership development functions as a transformative lever for sustainable development.
Moderated by: The Honorable Dr. Mark Dybul, Co-Director of the Center for Global Health Practice and Impact, and Professor in the Department of Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center
Featuring:
- Khadija Bakhtiar; CEO & Founder of Teach For Pakistan
- Lorraine Kabunga; Associate Director at Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) in Uganda
- Cornelia Kruah-Togba; A Liberian public servant and advocate for youth and women’s empowerment
Recording:
April 8 2022
- Fireside Chat
Beyond Imposter Syndrome: A Systemic Approach to Gender Equity
“Imposter syndrome puts the blame on individuals, without accounting for the historical and cultural contexts that are foundational to how it manifests in both women of color and white women. Imposter syndrome directs our view toward fixing women at work instead of fixing the places where women work.” – Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey, Harvard Business Review (February 2021)
While women make up the majority of frontline healthcare workers and caregivers, they remain vastly underrepresented in decision making roles in global health. Cultivating individual women’s skills and confidence to overcome imposter syndrome matters, but a singular focus on these efforts hasn’t yielded enough progress. It’s past time for a more systemic, networked approach.
In honor of International Women’s Day & Women’s History Month, Global Health Corps (GHC) and Jamia Wilson, Executive Editor of Random House, and GHC alumni explored how an imposter syndrome reframe is key to advancing gender equity in global health leadership.
Moderated by: Jamia Wilson, Activist, Author, and Executive Editor of Random House
Featuring:
- Heather Anderson, CEO, Global Health Corps
- Caroline Numuhire, 2014-2015 GHC fellow; Author; Editor-in-Chief, Environmental Africa; Consultant & Writer, The Connexion, LTD, Rwanda
- Lanice Williams, 2016-2017 GHC fellow; Gender Integration Specialist II, Encompass, LLC; Adjunct Lecturer at Howard University, United States
- Musonda Chikwanda, 2017-2018 GHC fellow; Girl Up Regional Manager, Africa, United Nations Foundation
Recording:
March 29
2022
- Salon
Building a New Table: #WomenLEAD Story Salon
COVID-19 has threatened women’s rights and health in unprecedented ways. At the same time, women remain vastly underrepresented in global health leadership. Centering the perspectives of rising women leaders is key to building a more equitable world as we respond to and rebuild from the pandemic.
Global Health Corps and African Feminism’s Lead Editor Rosebell Kagumire led a story salon featuring young women from East Africa, Southern Africa, and the U.S. who are redefining leadership — not only fighting for a seat at the table, but building an entirely new table.
How did they discover the power of storytelling and hone their own stories to catalyze change? What is their vision for a more equitable future? In what ways are they challenging the status quo to make that vision reality? Come listen, learn, and be inspired.
Moderated by: Rosebell Kagumire, award-winning writer, activist, curator, and Editor of African Feminism
Featuring:
- Cinderella Anena, 2016-2017 GHC fellow; National Post-Program Analyst, Delivery of Rights, United Nations Population Fund in Kampala, Uganda)
- Kutha Banda, 2016-2017 GHC fellow; Program Officer at Clinton Health Access Initiative, Zambia
- Gigi Ady, 2017-2018 GHC fellow, Director of Community Health and Well-Being, Arab-American Family Support Center in Brooklyn, U.S.
Recording:
Sept 22
2021
- Webinar
Shift Happens: Vaccine Apartheid – Addressing Inequity in COVID-19 Vaccine Supply & Distribution
In this edition of Shift Happens, our expert panelists weigh in: What is causing the gaps in the vaccine supply and distribution? How can we bridge the gap between high-income and low- & middle-income countries’ access? How do we prevent the recurrence of such inequities in the future?
Moderated by: Mwelwa Chasaya, 2020-2021 GHC fellow, Public Health Analyst and Biomedical Scientist
Featuring:
- Fredrick Luwaga, Uganda Vaccine Program Manager at Clinton Health Access Initiative
- Jacqueline Anena, 2016-2017 GHC fellow, Senior Program Officer for Vaccines and Immunization at PATH
- Sithembile Chithenga, 2017-2018 GHC fellow, Medical Epidemiologist
Recording:
Sept 10
2021
- Webinar
Advocacy Conversations: The Impact of COVID-19 on Advocacy in Africa
A discussion with Nairobi-based Advocacy Accelerator on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on advocacy in Africa.
Featuring:
- Professor Bhekinkosi Moyo, Director and Adjunct Professor at Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment
- Claire Mathonsi, Deputy Director of Advocacy Accelerator
Recording:
June 23
2021
- Town Hall
People Power — Developing Health Equity Leaders for Systems Change
Systems leaders are not born — they’re intentionally developed at every level of their careers through skill building, mentorship, reflection, and being part of a collaborative network. Yet in global health, these kinds of intensive, sustained leadership development opportunities are few and far between.
Global Health Corps and The Skoll Foundation teamed up for a conversation on the possibilities and challenges in embracing the power of leadership development to advance health equity. Attendees and speakers examine the structural obstacles and assumptions that inhibit talent investment and share advice for leaders and funders alike to better understand and communicate the value of doing so.
Moderated by: Jimmie Briggs, Principal, Skoll Foundation
Featuring:
- Dedo Baranshamaje, Director of Strategy – Africa, Segal Family Foundation, Malawi & GHC Alumnus
- Angel Chelwa, Managing Director, mPharma Zambia & GHC Alumna
- Gregory Rockson, Executive Director, mPharma
- Ann Marie Brouilette – Strategic Advisor, COVID-19 at USAID & GHC Alumna
Recording:
MAY 18
2021
- Fireside Chat
Dr. Senait Fisseha & GHC Alumni: the Future of Global Health Leadership
In this conversation, Dr. Senait reflected on her personal journey and shared advice for next gen global health leaders in navigating a post-COVID world. The discussion explored the how and why of working at the intersection of various inequities, health issue areas, and sectors, especially in these tumultuous times.
Featuring:
- Dr. Senait Fisseha, MD, JD; Director of Global Programs at the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation & Chief Advisor to the Director-General of the World Health Organization
- Edith Namukonda, Program Officer at Population Council & GHC Alumna, Zambia
- Precious Mutoru, Advocacy Coordinator at PSI & GHC Alumna, Uganda
Recording:
APRIL 28
2021
- Webinar
Cultural Barriers to Vaccine Uptake & Addressing Hesitancy in our Communities
Medical interventions have transformed the progress, health and wellbeing, economic prosperity, and longevity of societies around the world. However, we have seen how the most marginalized and vulnerable populations can be at risk from and lose faith in the promise of public health.
How do we understand the fear, concern, and generations of mistrust built into medical intervention uptake? How do we as public health practitioners learn from communities on how to support their health and progress? What are the best practices to work together for healthy societies and to address barriers – access, fear, mistrust – so that all communities can thrive?
With the promise of curbing the deadly coronavirus pandemic with a vaccine administration, this webinar featured public health, community, and behavior change practitioners and specialists on how we can work to ensure vaccine uptake and adherence, while understanding and respecting issues of complacency, confidence, and convenience that can create barriers to uptake for the most vulnerable communities.
Moderated by: Tracy Kobukindo, Technical Coordinator, East & Southern African, Community Health Academy, Last Mile Health & GHC Alumna, Uganda
Featuring:
- Yoram Siame, Head Director Advocacy Planning and Development, Churches Health Association of Zambia
- Mirriam Chisha Chimba, Communications Officer, PATH & 2020-2021 GHC fellow, Zambia
- Gigi Ady, Director of Community Health and Well-Being, Arab American Family Support Center & GHC Alumna, U.S.
Recording:
MARCH 31
2021
- Fireside Chat
The Intersection of Race, Gender, and Health
This conversation explored what it will take to create lasting impact and shift the determinants of a healthy life. With greater numbers of people of color contracting and dying of COVID-19 and women and girls impacted by domestic violence as a result of lockdowns, to women and people of color holding higher percentages of roles as at-risk caregivers, nurses, and health workers, yet occupying fewer seats at the leadership and decision-making tables, where do we go from here? How do we progress so that gender nor race nor the intersection of both serve as a social determinant of one’s health?
Featuring:
- Lori Adelman (Vice President, Influence and Engagement at the Global Fund for Women)
- Mine Metitiri (Deputy Director of Cancer Registry at Vital Strategies, GHC alumna)
Recording:
MARCH 10
2021
- Panel
The Pandemic as a Portal
The cascading crises of 2020 revealed long-standing inequities in health systems around the world. With the world at a crossroads in 2021, how can we navigate COVID-19 as a transformative bridge to a more equitable post-pandemic world? Global Health Corps’ next gen leaders from the U.S., Zambia, and Rwanda participated in an inspiring conversation on challenges, opportunities, and the kind of leadership it will take to accelerate global health progress in this new era.
Moderated by: Julie Bernstein, Deputy Director for Program Advocacy and Communications within Global Policy and Advocacy, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Featuring:
- Jessica Mayenda, Program Manager, USAID SUN-TA project, at Viamo & GHC Alumna, Zambia
- Angelica Recierdo, Editorial team at Doximity & GHC Alumna, U.S.
- Christian Benimana, Principal and Managing Director at MASS Design Group; Director of the African Design Centre; & GHC Alumnus, Rwanda
Recording:
FEB 24
2021
- Webinar
From Virus to Vaccine — Eliminating the Spread of COVID-19
Government lockdowns, physical distancing policies, and personal protective equipment have lessened the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in many areas, but the novel coronavirus still threatens too many individuals and resurgence remains concerning. As COVID-19 cases have risen, a vaccine has served as a hopeful, yet elusive, panacea to the crisis. What does it truly take to develop, test, supply, deliver, and ensure safe uptake of a vaccine? Will a vaccine be effective at flattening the curve or effectively eliminating the virus? What challenges can we expect?
This webinar featured GHC alumni and vaccine experts working in the U.S. and East and Southern Africa. Panelists and participants discussed the challenges of vaccine research for COVID-19, strategies to address the barriers to distribution and uptake of a vaccine, and how COVID-19 has shifted the landscape for vaccine development.
Moderated by:Cassidy Howell, Senior Associate, Influenza Vaccine Innovation, Sabin Vaccine Institute & GHC Alumna, Malawi
Featuring:
- Dr. Christopher Fang (Global Head, IQVIA R&D Solutions)
- Michelo Simuyandi (Research Fellow, Enteric Disease and Vaccine Research Unit at the Center for Infectious Disease and Research Zambia & GHC Fellow Supervisor)
- Sarah Snidal (Manager, New Vaccine Introduction & Service Delivery, Global Vaccines Delivery, Clinton Health Access Initiative & GHC Alumna, Uganda)
- Vadim Kogan (Immunization Health Educator, Washington State Department of Health & GHC Alumnus, Malawi)
Recording:
SEPT 29
2020
- Panel
Contraception is Not a Luxury – Protecting Access in the Age of COVID-19
As COVID-19 has commanded global attention, long-standing challenges to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) have been seriously exacerbated even as SRH needs have multiplied. Government lockdowns, physical distancing policies, and economic pressure have driven up rates of sexual violence and unwanted pregnancies and hindered access to contraception, including safe abortion.
In this webinar, GHC CEO Heather Anderson moderated a conversation with GHC alumni and sexual health activists in the U.S. and East and Southern Africa. Panelists and participants explored strategies for protecting the full spectrum of contraception as essential care during the pandemic and beyond.
Moderated by: Heather Anderson, CEO of Global Health Corps
Featuring:
- Dinnah Nabwire, Knowledge Specialist at the African Women’s Development Fund, Health Educator in rural Uganda, & GHC Alumna, Uganda
- Jeanne Hefez, Senior Policy & Advocacy Advisor, IPAS & GHC Alumna, U.S.
- Chantal Umuhoza, Executive Director of SPECTRA, Rwanda
Recording:
JUNE 30
2020
- Commemoration
Juneteenth with RAPtivism’s Aisha Fukushima
In honor of Juneteenth, GHC partnered with artist and activist Aisha Fukushima, founder of RAPtivism to hold our first-ever commemoration. Aisha performed original songs, delivered a keynote address, and facilitated a guided meditation and freedom poem activity.
2014-2015 Zambia alumna Nicole Maddox shared a powerful essay about her nephew growing up Black in America. “As we are all caught in Covid-19, I am caught in a society that is compounded by harm to black people. Since I saw the image of George Floyd’s face beneath the cop’s knee, my joy has been tainted by the reality of racism. That’s systemic racism to me. That’s the health crisis that I am experiencing but not talking about.”
CEO Heather Anderson shared reflections and remarks on deepening GHC’s commitment to anti-racism.
Recording:
JUNE 19
2020
- Webinar
Protecting Mental Health — Yours & Others —During a Pandemic
The ripples of COVID-19 impacted our daily lives in myriad ways, from uncertainty at work and disrupted social lives to instability in our finances and heightened fears about our health. Each of these factors alone has the potential to unleash serious mental health challenges, and their collective force reverberated throughout communities. GHC hosted this webinar featuring mental health experts to explore challenges and opportunities for improving mental health on the individual and policy levels.
Moderated by: Maganizo Kruger Nyasulu, PhD Research, Stockholm Resilience Center & GHC Alumnus, Zambia
Featuring:
- Annie Bonz, GHC Advisor and Technical Director, Resilience Programs at HIAS
- Shayni Geffen, MsC Student in Global Mental Health & GHC Alumna, U.S.
- Eliza Ramos, Founder & CEO at Circles International & GHC Alumna, Uganda
MAY 12
2020
- Panel
Mythbusting & Storytelling for COVID-19 Prevention & Mitigation
In this inaugural edition of our Shift Happens Speaker Series, panelists explored the importance of timely responses from trusted local leadership, the costs of under- or over-sharing COVID-19 news, the power of stories and social media platforms, and the role of fear in spreading misinformation.
Moderated by:Brittany Cesarini, Director of Communications, Global Health Corps
Featuring:
- Athanase Rukundo, Programs Director, Health Development Initiative, and GHC Alumnus, Rwanda
- Moureen Asimire, Program Officer, Ministry of Health, Uganda & GHC Alumna, Uganda
- Elisabeth Wilhelm, Health Communications Specialist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevent & GHC Alumna, Zambia