Health systems face rising costs, workforce strain, delayed access, and a steadily expanding administrative burden. Yet in many hospitals, no single person is clearly accountable for system-wide efficiency. The chief operating officer (COO) manages operations and throughput; the chief financial officer (CFO) oversees financial stewardship; and the chief medical officer (CMO) and chief quality officer […]
Latest articles
“I am because we are”: Ubuntu Principles for the Medical Leader-Coach. By Nondumiso Makhunga-Stevenson and Dumisani Magadlela
Consider a registrar or medical student on a busy hospital ward round. The consultant asks a question to the group. Silence. Even though they think they know the answer, self-doubt and fear of being berated for being wrong in front of colleagues holds them back. When the answer is finally arrived at, they realise that […]
Do early career healthcare leaders exist? By Riddhi Shenoy
As a network focussed on supporting leadership development of ‘early career professionals’, we have increasingly been asking ourselves: who exactly are we trying to support? We asked a group of health sector professionals if they saw themselves as ‘early career’ or ‘established’ leaders, and the responses surprised us. Most people hesitated, reluctant to claim the […]
Leading on Science for Health in the WHO South-East Asia Region. By Catharina C. Boehme
Under the theme “Together for health. Stand with science”, World Health Day (7 April) launched a year-long campaign highlighting the power of scientific collaboration to protect the health of people, animals, plants, and the planet through the One Health approach. Speaking to countries across the South-East Asia Region, Dr Catharina Boehme emphasized WHO’s leadership not […]
If people cannot interpret research, should they trust it? By Lisa Bunn
Introduction The public are increasingly encouraged to trust evidence-based health and social care but are rarely engaged with complex interpretation of research that informs practitioner decisions. In everyday practice, professionals integrate research alongside experience and individual patient factors, yet this reasoning often remains invisible. As access to health information expands and patients take a more […]
Equity Talks: Bearing Witness to Rural Inequities of the Past, Alive Today. By Ali Alshalah
Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity brings together health professionals from around the world and across disciplines to build leaders, combat disparities and create community. Its mission is to develop global leaders who not only understand the roots of health inequities but also have the skills and courage to create more equitable organizations and communities. Each […]
Equity Talks: The Power of Youth-Led Health Equity Work in Malawi. By Madalitso Juwayeyi
Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity brings together health professionals from around the world and across disciplines to build leaders, combat disparities and create community. Its mission is to develop global leaders who not only understand the roots of health inequities but also have the skills and courage to create more equitable organizations and communities. Each […]
Shift the Seat, Shift the Influence: A New Four Seat Approach to Patient Partnership. By Dr Kate Pryde, Dr Christina Rennie and Emlyn Marshall
Healthcare uses many metaphors, but few help us speak honestly about power. Leaders often aspire to stronger patient partnership, yet real practice varies widely. In some settings patients shape strategy; in others their influence appears only through complaints or litigation. Co-production literature shows that although it is increasingly valued, practice remains inconsistent and often unclear […]
Tyranny under bombs: condemnation of the Iran war must also include condemnation of the regime. By Rammina Yassaie
Wars are, without doubt, public health emergencies. They have lasting implications on the physical and psychological wellbeing of those affected. The extensive health harms from conflicts are notably exacerbated when essential infrastructure is (either intentionally or unintentionally) destroyed during conflict, risking civilian access to healthcare, energy, food supplies and more.1 As such, the Iran war […]
When silence becomes the default: what the Kent meningitis outbreak reveals about outbreak governance. By Vsevolod Shabad
Two young people died in Canterbury this month. Fifteen cases of invasive meningococcal disease have now been confirmed. UKHSA issued a public alert on 16 March, directing anyone who had visited a Canterbury nightclub in early March to seek antibiotics. Elective procedures were disrupted. Antibiotic supplies were mobilised. Staff were redeployed. The public controversy focused […]