Prof. Asha George

MSc (Harvard), DPhil (Sussex)

Professor and SARCHI Chair
E: asgeorge@uwc.ac.za

Asha George joined the SOPH in 2016 as the South African Research Chair (SARChI) in Health Systems, Complexity and Social Change.

She continues at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health as an Adjunct Professor and is a Principal Visiting Fellow at the United Nations University’s International Institute of Global Health. She is a qualitative researcher engaged with health systems to advance health and social justice in low- and middle-income countries. With a gender and rights lens, she focuses on the frontline interface and governance of services, taking into consideration community and health worker perspectives.

Her longer term national level work includes work in India, where she partnered with allies across community, district, state and national health systems to advance maternal health from a gender and rights perspective. Prior to that she worked in Mexico with government ministries and the UN system to advance the Beijing and Cairo agendas for women’s health and rights.

From 2016-2020, she was elected to the Board of Health Systems Global and served as its Vice Chair from 2016-2018, and its Chair from 2018 to 2020. She currently leads the Drivers Working Group for Countdown to 2030, is a Commissioner for the Lancet Commission on Re-Aligning Child Health for the SDG Era and chairs the Scientific and Technical Advisory Group for the Human Reproduction Program/ Department of Reproductive Health Research at WHO Geneva.

Dr. George is rated as a B3 scientist by the National Research Foundation. Since 2002, she has co-edited 2 edited volumes, 4 journal supplements, over 120 journal publications and multiple technical reports and guidance documents.

Projects

African Regional Community of Practice for Gender and Health

The African Regional Community of Practice (CoP) for Gender and Health in Africa was formed to facilitate a space in which the African community can engage in greater discussions and share ideas on matters of Gender and Health, especially after the Covid-19 global pandemic. It aims to advance African initiatives that facilitate regional understanding, collaboration, and policy-relevant knowledge production and practice on gender and health.

Gender-transformative research in Africa: collective learning and synthesis to improve sexual reproductive and maternal health rights and services

The overall aim of the project (February 2022-May 2025) is to foster a strengthened community of researchers and policymakers informed, connected and empowered to use gender-transformative frameworks and methods in their research and practice.

Learning partnerships for gender-transformation (LP4GT) in South Africa

The three year project started in February 2022 and will develop and explore learning partnerships to support gender-transformative innovations in adolescent and young people’s sexual and reproductive health in South Africa

Countdown to 2030

The School of Public Health (SOPH) holds a series of sub-grants from UNICEF USA to support the health policy and systems-related work of the Countdown to 2030 programme, for the period 2017 to 2022.

Addressing the effects of urban violence on youth access to health services in South Africa and Brazil

A developmental collaborative initiative with the Universities of Essex, Southampton, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Strengthening capacity for research, education, policy support, advocacy and networking of the partners in the field of human and animal health

SOPH’s key focus with ITM has been on strengthening South-based knowledge generation based on ‘embedded country’ health policy and systems research (HPSR) and education.

Gender and Health Hub

In 2019 UWC entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) to work together on advancing research and policy on gender and health from a global South perspective.

Children in All Policies 2030

The School of Public Health, with its South African partners, are exploring how child health and wellbeing indicators can drive change through multisectoral policy processes in the Western Cape, South Africa.

A shared agenda for gender and COVID-19 research: priorities based on broadening engagement in science

By: Asha S. George, Claudia A Lopes, Lavanya Vijayasingham, Mamothena C. Mothupi, Ronald Musizvingoza, Gita Mishram, Jacqui Stevenson, Michelle Remme

Between Rhetoric and Reality: Learnings From Youth Participation in the Adolescent and Youth Health Policy in South Africa

Staff inolved: Tanya Jacobs and Asha George

A scoping review of the determinants of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in South Africa: an intersectional perspective

Staff inolved: Michelle De Jong, Asha George, Tanya Jacobs

Current Thinking and Practice in Health Promotion: Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic

A webinar Series hosted by Dr Anam Nyembezi from the 21st October till the 28th October

Are rhetorical commitments to adolescents reflected in planning documents? An exploratory content analysis of adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Global Financing Facility country plans

Staff inolved: Asha S. George, Tanya Jacobs, Mary V. Kinney, Annie Haakenstad, Neha S. Singh, Kumanan Rasanathan & Mickey Chopra

Podcast: Advancing health systems for all in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) era

This podcast is with Journal Development and Communications Officer, Natasha Salaria and Professor Asha George – University of the Western Cape and Chair of Board at Health Systems Global.

Digital tech can boost health, by Asha George et al.

Digital technology is revolutionising our daily lives. Mobile devices monitor our movements, marketing algorithms guide our consumption and social media shape our worldviews and politics.