November 12, 2021

IPPHL Cohort 4 Graduates

Recently, the Evans School graduated its fourth cohort in the International Program in Public Health Leadership (IPPHL). These 38 fellows from 17 countries achieved this celebratory milestone two years after they first applied. It’s no exaggeration to say that this past year was a remarkable journey of empathy, adaptability, and community support.
As our fellows pushed to advance their critical work while also managing the pandemic and the health and safety of their teams and families, they continued to show up for classes and for each other. Despite the challenges, these 38 leaders all completed their policy projects to develop a policy or implementation response to a public health challenge their country is facing.

To date, five of our fellows have initiated a pilot project, three reported securing funding, and the majority of the fellows have been in discussion with their supervisors and other stakeholders about implementing their memos. This group has also deepened their sense of personal leadership. As one of our fellows shared, she is now wearing “a new jacket of confidence,” because of what she has learned about herself.

While our fellows and our team undoubtedly felt the loss of not being able to convene in person, the word that emerged and re-emerged to describe the experience throughout the Capstone Seminar, the After-Action Reviews, and program surveys was “transformative.” Through an experiential process of collective learning, analysis and practice, these 38 IPPHL Fellows stand ready to take up the IPPHL vision to create a world where public health systems are a driving force in the equitable improvement of lives.

A huge thank you to everyone at the Evans School, the UW, and our community partners who made this program such a success.

To amplify the words of fellow Ramatu Abdulkadir – “With courage, hunger for knowledge, faith in the process, hope for the future, commitment, and continuous improvement, we can reimagine the health care system in Africa and build a better legacy for future generations.”

Warmly,
Mary Kay, Liz, Nadine and the IPPHL team