AMS Professorship Award for Professor Helena Legido-Quigley, Imperial College London

Revitalizing Global Health Equity PULSE Program - Pandemic Preparedness, Universal Health Coverage, and Humanitarian Settings with a Community Embrace In the face of intricate global health challenges, my research program seeks not only to address immediate concerns but to fundamentally reimagine the global health system with a community-driven focus.

This innovative proposal centers around four pivotal pillars: Revisiting Global Governance, Reinvigorating Universal Health Coverage, Reimagining Pandemic Preparedness, and Rethinking Non-Communicable Diseases in Humanitarian Settings.

Beyond outlining these critical areas, my approach advocates for the establishment of a dedicated research team, strategically aligned to delve into the complexities of each pillar.

The added value of the AMS professorship lies in its potential to mobilize resources, facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration, enhance global impact and influence, support capacity building and mentorship, enable strategic research planning, advocate for policy reform, and provide flexibility for exploration.

This prestigious honor not only brings financial support but also credibility, opening avenues for impactful research, policy advocacy, and transformative actions that contribute to positive global health outcomes.

Revisiting Global Governance for Health A cornerstone of my program involves building upon the influential 2011 Lancet Commission on Global Governance for Health.

We aim to reexamine its findings in the current context of global health challenges, incorporating considerations such as climate change, conflicts, antimicrobial resistance, and the profound impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The urgency to address power imbalances and inequities, spotlighted by the pandemic, propels our research to critically assess the effectiveness of existing global governance mechanisms.

Our endeavor is to advocate for equitable responses to health crises, emphasizing the need for new governance structures that ensure universal health preparedness.

In my role as a Commissioner and with the new team, we will actively contribute to unraveling the intricate web of power dynamics, advocating for equitable reforms, and emphasizing the decolonization goal in global health governance.

The commission's objective is to produce a transformative report, introducing theoretical tensions, and presenting policy actions for reforming global governance structures.

Reinvigorating Universal Health Coverage Despite commitments made at UN High-level meetings in 2019 and 2023, progress toward UHC is showing signs of stalling.

To address this, my program proposes the formation of a multidisciplinary team, comprising experts in health policy, economics and human rights.

The UHC research team will conduct an in-depth analysis of four key challenges hindering UHC progress: political commitment, financing mechanisms, coherence in global health initiatives, and the narrative surrounding UHC.

My involvement as an active member of the UHC Chatham House Commission and UHC 2030 will add a perspective to the team's efforts.

We aim to engage in a comprehensive literature review, policy dialogues, semi-structured interviews, and initiate policy dialogues with relevant stakeholders.

Through these collaborative efforts, our goal is not only to identify barriers but also to propose actionable strategies, ensuring progress toward achieving UHC and dismantling existing obstacles.

Reimagining Health Security The global health community witnessed a paradigm shift with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the limitations of traditional security-focused approaches.

Recognizing the need for a more comprehensive evaluation of countries' capacities to detect and respond to emerging infectious threats, we propose the establishment of the NUS-Lancet Pandemic Readiness, Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PRIME) Commission.

The team funded under this programme will assist Commissioners in redefining measurement frameworks, stress-test existing indices, and advocate for a more holistic and multisectoral approach.

Our research team will conduct a comprehensive analysis of tools and indicators, engaging in extensive stakeholder consultations to ensure diverse perspectives are considered.

Post-Commission meeting in 2024, we aim to develop a practical toolkit that serves as a guide for countries to enhance their pandemic preparedness.

Pilot testing in three countries, will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness and adaptability of the proposed indicators in diverse settings.

Subsequent country case study data collection from April to October 2024 will further enrich our understanding and refine our recommendations.

Rethinking Health in Humanitarian Settings The increasing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases in low- and middle-income countries during humanitarian crises is a complex challenge that demands attention. Our proposed research team aims to bridge existing evidence gaps and inform effective interventions.

This team will conduct a systematic review on multimorbidity prevalence, investigating the needs and experiences of refugees with multimorbidity, with a particular focus on cardiovascular diseases, renal conditions, and heart failure.

Collaboration with global organizations such as the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, UNHCR, and Doctors of the World will be a strategic initiative to bring together resources and expertise.

The establishment of a survey network among key stakeholders will facilitate the identification of research priorities and potential areas of collaboration, ensuring that our research is grounded in the needs and perspectives of those affected.

Setting Up a Research Team Each pillar of our research proposal necessitates a dedicated research team to ensure comprehensive and actionable insights with each team member leading on one or two of the key priorities.

The strategic imperatives for setting up this team is rooted in the recognition that a multidisciplinary approach is indispensable for tackling complex global health challenges.

The establishment of a dedicated research teams is not just a logistical necessity but a strategic imperative, ensuring multidisciplinary investigations.

Methodology The research methodology for the global health program adopts a bottom-up and community-centric approach, seeking to develop innovative methodologies in each area.

Global Governance involves engaging the Global South through physical meetings and hosting a youth-focused meetings for diverse perspectives.

Community-based research principles will be incorporated, facilitating the co-creation of recommendations with local communities.

In the UHC pillar, community engagement is emphasized alongside literature review, policy engagement, interviews, and policy dialogues.

Pandemic Preparedness involves analyzing tools and indicators, stakeholder consultations, toolkit creation, pilot testing, and country case study data collection, all with a community-centric approach.

For NCDs in Humanitarian Settings, the research program incorporates a systematic literature review, patient-centric research, collaboration with organizations, and a survey network, all while prioritizing grassroots approaches.

This comprehensive methodology aims to emphasize community engagement and novel approaches to contribute to transformative actions in global health.