Westminster Public Health students and colleagues attended the 78th annual World Health Assembly (WHA) in Switzerland to help shape future public health policy on a visit funded by the Quintin Hogg Trust (QHT). The WHA is the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which is attended by delegations from WHO member states across the world.
Westminster’s Global Public Health and Nutrition MSc course leaders Dr Regina Murphy Keith and Dr Sharon Noonan-Gunning were joined in Geneva by their students Louise Allen, Nancy O’Neill and Mariana Esparis Rodriguez, alongside doctoral researcher Ayanna Deane. The Westminster delegation focused on a range of issues including meeting global nutrition targets, putting the community back into primary health care, increasing investment in health and nutrition and supporting free school meals.
Ayanna Deane is currently researching the provision of school meals and their impact on health and education outcomes at the University’s Graduate School. She spoke at the Commonwealth Intergenerational Dialogue on the Future of Our Global Health Workforce alongside Ministers of Health from countries including Zambia, Guyana and Nigeria, as well as leaders from the Commonwealth Health Professions Alliance, WHO Health Workforce and the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean.
Ayanna Deane speaking at the dialogue
The dialogue provided a platform for young professionals and senior leaders to exchange ideas on how to build a skilled, well-resourced and future-ready health and care workforce across the Commonwealth. Ayanna highlighted the need for structured pathways into health systems for graduates and the importance of creating spaces where young voices can feed into policymaking, which not only enhances transparency and innovation but also strengthens collaboration between policymakers and healthcare professionals.
Dr Murphy Keith was also interviewed by WHO on the 20th anniversary of the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health Coalition. As a Reader at Westminster and Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, Dr Murphy Keith undertakes extensive research into maternal newborn and child health issues, including the reduction of childhood obesity and the importance of free school meals.
Dr Regina Murphy Keith
About taking part in the WHA Ayanna said: “Engaging directly with policymakers helped me better understand the global landscape of health systems and created meaningful opportunities for future collaboration, particularly around school feeding initiatives. In the words of our Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Bonfield, who encouraged us to “go out into the world and be the change we want to see”, I felt proud to represent the University of Westminster and contribute to the global conversation on the future of health. This opportunity reaffirmed my commitment to research that informs policy and drives impactful change.”
She also thanked Dr Murphy Keith: “I am especially grateful to Dr Murphy Keith for her continuous leadership and vision in making this opportunity possible. Her commitment to ensuring students and graduates are not only present but actively contributing at high-level global forums is inspiring. Without her efforts in organising and leading our delegation to Geneva, this experience would not have been possible.”
Dr Murphy Keith added: “Last year at our World Public Health and Nutrition Congress we promised to bring the voices of our 700 participants and our many community partners to local and global policymakers. We distributed over 500 policy briefs and attended over thirty sessions sharing our research outcomes and establishing contacts for future research. We also discussed our future role as educators in strengthening the global health workforce to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030! Thanks to the Quintin Hogg Trust for making the field trip possible!”
The WHA contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2: Zero Hunger, 3: Good Health and Wellbeing and 10: Reduced Inequalities. Since 2016, the Global Public Health and Nutrition MSc course has aligned its teaching to the UN SDGs and University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions since 2019, to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about Nutrition and Public Health courses at the University of Westminster.
