Certificate peer learning programme for equity in research and practice

From diagnosis to duty: health workers confront their own role in inequity

Reda SadkiGlobal health

A thirteen-year-old girl in Nigeria, bitten by a snake, arrived at a hospital with her frantic family. The hospital demanded payment before administering the antivenom. The family could not afford it. The girl died. This was one of the stark stories shared by health professionals on September 10, 2025, during “Exploration Day,” the third day of The Geneva Learning Foundation’s inaugural peer learning exercise on health equity. The previous day had been about diagnosing the external systems that create such tragedies. But today, the focus shifted. “Yesterday, we looked at the problem,” said TGLF facilitator Dr María Fernanda Monzón. “Today, we look in the mirror. We move from analyzing the situation to analyzing ourselves, our own role, our own power, and our own assumptions”. The practitioner’s role The day’s intensive, small-group workshops challenged participants to move beyond naming a problem to questioning their own connection to it. Groups brought their …

Certificate peer learning programme for equity in research and practice

The practitioner as catalyst: How a global learning community is turning frontline experience into action on health inequity

Reda SadkiGlobal health

“In this phase of my life, I want to work directly with the communities to see what I can do,” said Dr. Sambo Godwin Ishaku, a public health leader from Nigeria with over two decades of experience. His words opened the second day of The Geneva Learning Foundation’s first-ever peer learning exercise on health equity. They also spoke to the very origin of the event itself. The Geneva Learning Foundation’s Certificate peer learning programme for equity in research and practice was created because thousands of health workers like Dr. Ishaku joined a global dialogue about equity and demanded a new kind of learning—one that moved beyond theory to provide practical tools for action. This inaugural session on 9 September 2025, called “Discovery Day,” was a direct answer to that call. It was not a lecture, but a three-hour, high-intensity workshop where the participants’ own experiences of inequity became the curriculum. …

Chilling effect

Chilling effect

Reda SadkiGlobal health

We reached out to senior decision makers working in global health about the new Certificate peer learning programme for equity in research and practice. Crickets. One CEO wrote: “We aren’t currently in a position to enter into new strategic partnerships on the topic.” The chilling effect is real. Many organizations are retreating from publicly championing equity work—even those with deep commitments to fairness and inclusion. But here’s the opportunity: While public discourse faces headwinds, meaningful work continues through trusted networks and communities of practice. This is precisely when innovation in equity approaches accelerates—away from the spotlight but with profound impact. The evidence is clear: health systems that neglect equity waste resources and deliver poorer outcomes. When research excludes key populations or policies overlook certain communities, we all lose—through inefficiency, increased costs, and diminished impact. This moment calls for courage from those who understand that equity is fundamental to effective health …