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Devex Impact
House @WHA
May 20-21, 2026
Geneva / On-Demand
FROM VISION TO ACTION:
HOW CAN GLOBAL HEALTH DELIVER?
Global health is entering a defining moment — one where bold visions are everywhere, but execution remains uncertain. The United States and Africa are putting forward roadmaps for the future of global health. China, Gulf states, and emerging Asian funders are shifting the global balance of power. Core institutions such as WHO, UNAIDS, and the Global Fund face leadership transitions and structural upheaval. Technology is advancing faster than policies can keep up, while financing grows more complex through new partnerships and dealmaking models.
At WHA79 in Geneva, Devex Impact House will bring these dynamics into focus over live journalism, curated roundtables, and intentional networking events. We’ll ask the leaders, funders, and innovators shaping this landscape a simple but urgent question: How can global health turn its visions into action — and deliver?
Interested in partnering? Contact us here.
Program
8:00-
9:30 a.m. CET
9:30 a.m. CET
Kidney Health for All: Delivering Comprehensive Care from Prevention to Treatment
In partnership with the International Society of Nephrology
9:30-
11:00 a.m. CET
11:00 a.m. CET
Accelerating Reduction of Maternal, Newborn, and Child Mortality: Progress to Date and Action for
2030
In partnership with MSD for Mothers
11:00 a.m.-
12:30 p.m. CET
12:30 p.m. CET
Beyond the Medicine: Building Family-Centered Cancer Care
In partnership with Amgen
Health Sovereignty & Shifting Power
As health sovereignty agendas advance and new global funders expand their reach, this series of conversations will explore how power is shifting from traditional aid models to a more fragmented landscape where countries may increasingly act as customers rather than recipients.
12:30-
1:30 p.m. CET
1:30 p.m. CET
Lunch & Networking
1:30 p.m.
CET
This Week in Global Development: Live from WHA
Rumbi Chakamba
Senior Editor, Devex
Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
Jenny Lei Ravelo
Senior Reporter, Devex
1:50 p.m.
CET
Making the Malaria Market Work
In partnership with Vestergaard
Amar Ali
Chief executive officer, Vestergaard
Sherwin Charles
CEO, Goodbye Malaria
Interviewed by: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
2:10 p.m.
CET
The Accra Reset: Ghana Leads a New Vision for Aid Reform
Dr. Victor Bampoe
Chief executive officer, National Health Insurance Authority, Ghana
Interviewed by: Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
2:15 p.m.
CET
Investing in Infectious Disease Innovation
In partnership with Wellcome
Jeremy Knox
Head of infectious disease policy, Wellcome
Interviewed by: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
2:30 p.m.
CET
How Direct Relief Is Rethinking Scale in a Shifting Aid Landscape
Amy Weaver
Chief executive officer, Direct Relief
Interviewed by: Andrew Green
Contributing Reporter, Devex
2:45 p.m.
CET
Strengthening Health Sovereignty: The Example of Home-Based Dialysis
In partnership with Vantive
Magnus Lindholm
President, Europe, Middle East and Africa region, Vantive
Interviewed by: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
3:00 p.m.
CET
The Next Era of African Health Security
Dr. Gedi Mohamed
Coordinator of the WHO Regional Office for Africa’s Polio Eradication Programme
Dr. Magda Robalo
President and co-founder, The Institute for Global Health
Interviewed by: Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
3:15 p.m.
CET
A Catalystic Investment: Unlocking the Economic Value of a Healthier World
In partnership with McKinsey Health Institute
Alex Beauvais
Director of Impact & Insights, McKinsey Health Institute
Interviewed by: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
3:30 p.m.
CET
After the Exits from WHO, What's Next for the Pan American Health Organization?
Dr. Jarbas Barbosa
Director, Pan American Health Organization
Interviewed by: Jenny Lei Ravelo
Senior Reporter, Devex
The New Global Health Financing Playbook
Global health financing is shifting beyond traditional aid. This series of conversations will explore how deals, philanthropy, debt swaps, and private-sector models are redefining how care is funded, and what this means for persistent gaps in areas like HIV, family planning, neglected tropical diseases, and primary care.
3:45 p.m.
CET
How Gavi is Navigating Funding Gaps and Working to Increase Health Sovereignty
Dr. Sania Nishtar
CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Interviewed by: Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
4:15 p.m.
CET
From Evidence to Action: Scaling Integrated Screening for Health System Resilience
In partnership with AstraZeneca
Driving National Leadership in the Prevention of Chronic Diseases
Dr. Satoshi Ezoe, Senior assistant minister for global health, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan
Shaping the Future of Integrated Health Checks: What the Evidence Says
Dr. Fiona Adshead, Chair, Sustainable Healthcare Coalition
Clélia-Elsa Froguel, Senior director, Global Policy, AstraZeneca
Pharmacist Bart Torbeyns, Executive director, European Diabetes Forum
Interviewed by: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
4:45 p.m.
CET
The New Health Financing Reality: What Happens to Universal Health Coverage Now?
Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou
Director of the performance, financing and delivery department, World Health Organization
Interviewed by: Rumbi Chakamba
Senior Editor, Devex
5:00 p.m.
CET
From Grants to Deals: Engaging the Private Sector to Deliver Health Innovation
Dr. Bill Steiger
Chief executive officer, Malaria No More
Nafisa Jiwani
Director, Innovative Financing and Manufacturing, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
Caitlin Burton
CEO, Zipline Africa
Dr. David Reddy
Director general, IFPMA
Interviewed by: Jenny Lei Ravelo
Senior Reporter, Devex
5:15 p.m.
CET
Delivering the Road Map for Chronic Respiratory Disease Care
In partnership with Sanofi and Regeneron
6:45 p.m.
CET
Networking Dinner
In partnership with Sanofi and Regeneron
8:00-
9:30 a.m. CET
9:30 a.m. CET
The Business Case for Health: A Life Sciences Imperative
In partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and CARE
9:15-
11:00 a.m. CET
11:00 a.m. CET
Rethinking Elimination: Integration and Innovation for Sustainable Diseases Elimination
In partnership with GLIDE
Innovation Under Constraint
As funding tightens, new models for delivering health impact are emerging. This series of conversations will explore how innovators, from startups to governments to philanthropies, are redesigning service delivery, financing, and partnerships to do more with less.
11:15 a.m
CET
From Primary Care to Specialist Access: Guyana’s Next Health Challenge
Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony
Minister of Health, Guyana
Interviewed by: Jenny Lei Ravelo
Senior Reporter, Devex
11:35 a.m
CET
Reframing Malaria Elimination: Why Outdoor Mosquito Management Must Be Part of Integrated Mosquito Management
A partner spotlight with Valent Health
Silas Majambere
Business manager of Africa, Europe and Middle East, Valent Health
Interviewed by: Alan Robbins
Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, Devex
11:50 a.m
CET
Family Planning at a Crossroads: Navigating Care in an Era of U.S. Funding Restrictions
Elaine Menotti
Senior director of programs, Population Action International
Oluwafadekemi Akinfaderin
Chief global advocacy officer, Fòs Feminista
Interviewed by: Jenny Lei Ravelo
Senior Reporter, Devex
12:05 p.m.
CET
The Missing Piece in Health Architecture: Unlocking Clear Sight
A video spotlight with Solutions Insight Lab
12:10 p.m
CET
From Push to Pull: Building Health Systems Around Demand
Abigail Steinberg
Executive director, Livelihood Impact Fund
Julius Mbeya
Co-CEO, Lwala Community Alliance
James Nardella
President and chief program officer, Last Mile Health
Interviewed by: Andrew Green
Contributing Reporter, Devex
12:25 p.m.
CET
The Next Era of Interoperability: From Data Exchange to Data Intelligence
In partnership with Oracle
Seema Verma
Executive vice president and general manager of health and life sciences, Oracle
Interviewed by: Alan Robbins
Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, Devex
12:40 p.m
CET
Tracking the Health Impacts of the Aid Cuts: New Data from The Aid Report
Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
12:45-
1:30 p.m. CET
1:30 p.m. CET
Lunch & Networking
The Changing Global Health Architecture
Leadership transitions and structural reforms across major global health institutions are reshaping the system. This conversation will explore what changes at the World Health Organization, Global Fund, UNAIDS, and UNITAID mean for coordination, accountability, and deliver, particularly as U.S. bilateral approaches shift the dynamics in Geneva.
1:30 p.m.
CET
The Evolving Role of the U.S. in Global Health
Prof Lawrence Gostin
Distinguished university professor at Georgetown University and director of the WHO Center on Global Health Law
Dr Mercy Mwangangi
Chief administrative secretary, Ministry of Health, Kenya
Interviewed by: Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
1:45 p.m.
CET
The HIV Endgame: Can the World Deliver on Lenacapavir?
Mitchell Warren
Executive director, AVAC
Michel Joly
Vice-president of Gilead Global Patient Solutions, Gilead Sciences
Rhoda Igweta
Director of public policy and advocacy for Africa, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Interviewed by: Rumbi Chakamba
Senior Editor, Devex
2:00 p.m.
CET
Beyond Access: Rethinking Partnerships for Health System Resilience
In partnership with Accord for a Healthier World
Dr. Koku Awoonor-Williams
Technical advisor to the minister of health, Ghana
Ali Besri
Vice president, emerging markets access and accord lead, Pfizer
Interviewed by: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
2:40 p.m.
CET
The Self Care (r)Evolution: From Consumer Habit to Policy Priority
In partnership with Kenvue
Gabriel Torres-Brown
Vice president global public and government affairs, Kenvue
Interviewed by: Alan Robbins
Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, Devex
2:55 p.m.
CET
When War Reshapes Aid: The Hidden Costs of Delivering Humanitarian Health
Mesfin Teklu Tessema
Senior health director, International Rescue Committee
Interviewed by: Rumbi Chakamba
Senior Editor, Devex
3:05 p.m.
CET
Funding Resilience: NTD Lessons in Building Stronger Health Systems
In partnership with Sightsavers
Dr. Sunday Isiyaku
Executive Director, Sightsavers
Dr. Joseph Kwadwo Larbi Opare
Program manager for NTDs, Ghana Health Service
Interviewed by: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
3:20 p.m.
CET
Partnership Without a Playbook
Carsten Schicker
CEO, World Health Summit
Interviewed by: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
3:30 p.m.
CET
The Front Lines of Fundraising: Making the Case for Global Health When Confidence is Shaken
Anil Soni
Chief executive officer, WHO Foundation
Interviewed by: Andrew Green
Contributing Reporter, Devex
3:40 p.m.
CET
Why Africa's Women's Health Agenda Can't Wait
Dr. Adanna Steinacker
Senior special adviser, Office of the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Women’s Health, Nigeria
Interviewed by: Alexandre Cabaret
Vice President, Partnerships, Devex
Technology, AI & the Future of Delivery
This series of conversations will explore how AI, digital health, biotech, supply chains, and climate-health innovation are changing how care is delivered, and how countries are asserting digital and technological sovereignty.
3:45 p.m.
CET
A Bold New Effort to Scale Breakthrough Health Innovations
Martin Edlund
CEO, BillionScale
Interviewed by: Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
4:05 p.m.
CET
AI and the Next Generation of Health Systems: Promise vs. Risk
Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet
President and CEO, Vital Strategies
Bright Simons
President, mPedigree
Interviewed by: Rumbi Chakamba
Senior Editor, Devex
4:25 p.m.
CET
The Transition Era: Rethinking Disease Elimination for Sustainable Impact
In partnership with GLIDE
H.E. Dr Farida Al Hosani
CEO, Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE)
Interviewed by: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
4:40 p.m.
CET
The Battle for Health Data: A Balancing Act Between Collaboration and Exploitation
Desta Lakew
Former group director of partnerships and external affairs at Amref Health Africa
Aggrey Aluso
Executive director, Resilience Action Network Africa
Nicole Spieker
CEO, PharmAccess
Obioma Chijoke-Akaniro
Paediatrician and public health data analyst, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Nigeria
Interviewed by: Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
5:10 p.m.
CET
Wellcome's CEO on AI, Evidence, and the Future of Global Health
John-Arne Røttingen
Chief Executive Officer, Wellcome
Interviewed by: Jenny Lei Ravelo
Senior Reporter, Devex
5:30-
6:30 p.m. CET
6:30 p.m. CET
Closing Reception
Speakers
Dr. Fiona Adshead
Chair, Sustainable Healthcare Coalition
Fadekemi Akinfaderin
Chief global advocacy officer, Fòs Feminista
H.E. Dr. Farida Al Hosani
CEO, Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE)
Dr. Buthaina Al Muhairi
Head of NCD and mental health, MoHAP, UAE
Tala Al-Ramahi
Spokesperson, Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity
Amar Ali
Chief executive officer, Vestergaard
Dr Pascale Allotey
Director of Department of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Ageing and director of HRP, World Health Organization
Yeshoda Aryal
Chief of the health coordination division, Ministry of Health and Food Safety
Dr. Nada Al Marzooqi
Director of public health and prevention department, Ministry of Health and Prevention, UAE
Prof. Abla Alalfy
Deputy minister of health and population for population and family development, Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population
Aggrey Aluso
Executive director, Resilience Action Network Africa
Dr. Kamal Amzan
Chief executive officer, IHH Healthcare Malaysia
Sushant Anand
Director of international value & access, Novartis
Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony
Minister of health, Ministry of Health of Guyana
Dr. Koku Awoonor-Williams
Technical advisor to the minister of health, Ghana
Dr. Ricardo Baptista Leite
Founder & president, UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health; CEO, HealthAI – The Global Agency for Responsible AI in Health
Josephine Barasa
Community health worker supervisor, Community Health Impact Coalition
Dr. Jarbas Barbosa
Director, Pan American Health Organization
Alex Beauvais
Director of impact and insights, McKinsey Health Institute
Julia Bunting
Programme Division, Director, UNFPA
Enkhuun Byambadorj
Cofounder and director of operations, Breathe Mongolia – Clean Air Coalition, and Young Health Programme impact fellow, AstraZeneca
Jacquelyn Caglia, MPH
Head, Mission Aligned Initiatives; executive director, Social Impact and Sustainability, MSD for Mothers
Ali Besri
Vice president, emerging markets access and accord lead, Pfizer
Caitlin Burton
CEO, Zipline Africa
Fatima Cardoso
President of the Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance; head of clinical trials, scientific affairs and international development in breast oncology at the Centre Antoine Lacassagne
José Luis Castro
Director-general special envoy for chronic respiratory diseases, World Health Organization
Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou
Director of the performance, financing and delivery department, World Health Organization
Sherwin Charles
CEO, Goodbye Malaria
Dr. Obioma Chijioke-Akaniro
Paediatrician and public health data analyst, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Nigeria
João de Bragança
Immediate past president, Childhood Cancer International
Martin Edlund
CEO, BillionScale
Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet
President and CEO, Vital Strategies
Helga Fogstad
Director of health at the global program division, UNICEF
Clélia-Elsa Froguel
Senior director, Global Policy, AstraZeneca
Dr. Satoshi Ezoe
Senior assistant minister for global health, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan
Lucia Fuentes de Antillón
Clinical psychologist, St Jude Global - UNOP
Prof Lawrence Gostin
Distinguished university professor at Georgetown University and director of the WHO Center on Global Health Law
Dr. Gagan Gupta
Unit lead for the maternal and newborn health global program division, UNICEF
Laura Gutiérrez
Vice president, head of global corporate public affairs and policy, Sanofi
Dr. Nadeen Hilal
Adviser to the minister of public health, Ministry of Public Health - Lebanon
Rhoda Igweta
Director of public policy and advocacy for Africa, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Dr. Sunday Isiyaku
Executive director, Sightsavers
Nafisa Jiwani
Director of innovative financing and manufacturing, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
Nafisa Jiwani
Michel Joly, Vice-president of Gilead Global Patient Solutions, Gilead Sciences
Dr. Larry Kerr
ADeputy vice president for global health and multilateral affairs, PhRMA
Dorothy Keefe
CEO, Cancer Australia
Jeremy Knox
Head of infectious disease policy, Wellcome
Dr. Alain Labrique
Director of data, digital health, analytics, and AI, World Health Organization (WHO)
Dr. Joseph Kwadwo Larbi Opare
Program manager for NTDs, Ghana Health Service
Desta Lakew
Former group director of partnerships and external affairs at Amref Health Africa
Crystal Lander
Associate vice president, CARE
Magnus Lindholm
President, Europe, Middle East and Africa region, Vantive
Dr. Viviana Martinez-Bianchi
President, WONCA Association
Hossam Masoud
Professor of Pulmonology, Cairo University
Julius Mbeya
Co-CEO, Lwala Community Alliance
MPH Elaine Menotti
Senior director of programs, Population Action International
Dr. Ponda Motsepe-Ditshego
Vice president and head of inclusive global health and impact, Amgen
Dr. Silas Majambere
Business manager of Africa, Europe and Middle East, Valent Health
Elias Mossialos
Cheng Yu Tung chair in global health and director of LSE Health, London School of Economics and Political Science
Dr. Stephen Mutiso
Lead of the renal program and alternate chair of the cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic health technical working group, Ministry of Health, Kenya
James Nardella
President and chief program officer, Last Mile Health
Dr. Sania Nishtar
CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate
Coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Nigeria
Dr. David Reddy
Director-general, IFPMA
Iskra Reic
Executive vice president, international, AstraZeneca
Riley Sanders
Head of government relations and public affairs, Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform
Carsten Schicker
CEO, World Health Summit
Dr. Buddy Shah
CEO, Clinton Health Access Initiative
John-Arne Røttingen
Chief executive officer, Wellcome
Dr. Nihad Salifu
Head of the pediatric oncology unit, Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ghana
Bright Simons
President, mPedigree
Prof Smeeta Sinha
National clinical director for renal services, NHS England
Anil Soni
Chief executive officer, WHO Foundation
Nicole Spieker
CEO, PharmAccess
Dr. Bill Steiger
Chief executive officer, Malaria No More
Dr. Adanna Steinacker
Senior special adviser, Office of the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Women’s Health, Nigeria
Abigail Steinberg
Executive director, Livelihood Impact Fund
Dr. Mesfin Teklu Tessema
Senior director of health, International Rescue Committee
Seema Verma
Executive vice president and general manager of health and life sciences, Oracle
Mitchell Warren
Executive director, AVAC
Dr. Marcello Tonelli
President, International Society of Nephrology
Pharmacist Bart Torbeyns
Executive director, European Diabetes Forum
Gabriel Torres-Brown
Vice president global public and government affairs, Kenvue
Peter Ward
Cofounder, Enaiblers
Margo Warren
Director of government engagement and policy, Access to Medicine Foundation
Amy Weaver
CEO, Direct Relief
Andrew Whitehead
Vice president and head of population health, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS)
Siân Williams
Chief executive officer, International Primary Care Respiratory Group
Devex Interviewers
Rumbi Chakamba
Senior Editor, Devex
Andrew Green
Contributing Reporter, Devex
Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
Jenny Lei Ravelo
Senior Reporter, Devex
Alan Robbins
Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, Devex
Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
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