The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research is pleased to announce the appointment of Rt Hon. Helen Clark as the new Chair of the Board. Helen Clark brings a wealth of experience to the role, having served as the Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008 and as the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was also the Minister of Health of New Zealand from 1989 to 1990.
Helen Clark will be taking over from outgoing Chair, Prof. David Peters, who has been a consummate steward of the Alliance and keen advocate for health policy and systems research during his two terms in post.
At the same time, Dr Jeanette Vega will be stepping into the role of Vice Chair. Dr Vega is the former Minister of Social Development and Family of Chile and has been the Chair of the Alliance’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) since 2017. She has previously also served as the Director of the National Health Fund of Chile and as Undersecretary for Health of Chile.
Taking over the role of Chair of the Alliance STAC is Prof. Helen Schneider, Director of the School of Public Health at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said “Helen Clark has long been a champion for global health and sustainable development. I’m sure that she will also be a champion for the Alliance and for the research it supports to improve the health and well-being of people around the globe.”
"We are incredibly fortunate to have these three formidable women to guide the work of the Alliance," said Dr Kumanan Rasanathan, the Alliance’s Executive Director. "Helen Clark brings a lifetime of leadership at the highest levels in both government and multilateral levels, extensive knowledge of policy and systems, and a track record of leading gains in health and health systems. Jeanette Vega is a renowned health policy and systems researcher in her own right, in addition to her substantial leadership experience in the Chilean government, WHO and the Rockefeller Foundation. And with Helen Schneider joining them at the helm, the Alliance is a strong position as we begin to chart our next chapter to support research that matters for health equity."
"I am honoured to have been appointed as the new Chair of the Board of the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research," said Helen Clark. "I look forward to working with Jeanette Vega as Vice Chair, as well as the rest of the Board, Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee and Secretariat of the Alliance to drive meaningful change in policy and systems to improve health and health equity globally."
The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research is an international partnership hosted by the World Health Organization that promotes the generation and use of health policy and systems research as a means to strengthen health systems. The Alliance works with partners to generate and use evidence, and to build the capacity of researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners to use this evidence to inform policy and practice.
These changes in leadership come on the heels of the appointment of Kumanan Rasanathan as the new Executive Director in November 2022.