Ujunwa Onyeama, MPH, a research assistant at the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, supports the project “Sustaining Innovative Tools to Expand Youth-Friendly HIV Self-Testing (S-ITEST).” Onyeama recently participated in the 20th Annual Women’s Leadership Weekend at the Fuqua School of Business. In the following, she reflects on this experience while recognizing the need to empower women in research to drive innovation and strengthen global health leadership.
Women in Global Health Leadership
Despite women making up about 70% of the global health workforce, men – who represent less than 30% of the workforce – hold 75% of leadership roles, a stark contrast described as the ‘XX Paradox’ in the 2023 Women in Global Health Policy Report. The pace of change in achieving gender parity in global health leadership has been undeniably slow. While I am thankful for the women who have paved the way, hurdles still exist that prevent progress toward breaking leadership barriers within the health sector.
On November 9, 2024, I attended the 20th Women’s Leadership Weekend at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, to better understand how other women have done this and consider my own training path ahead and how these strategies could empower women in global health research and practice.
The Association of Women in Business (AWIB) at Fuqua has provided this space for women to gather and be celebrated as innovators in the business world for 20 years. This event was particularly timely, marking two significant firsts for Fuqua – the MBA program attaining gender parity with women representing 51% of the incoming class and the appointment of Mary Frances Luce as the first female dean. The event was a chance to celebrate the power of female representation and ally-ship.
Lessons from AWIB
During the Leadership Weekend, I participated in sessions designed to build leadership skills. This included a mock class on negotiations led by Professor Ashleigh Shelby Rosette – James L. Vincent Distinguished Professor of Leadership – where we learned the importance of having a growth mindset. A growth mindset is where you think about how you can iteratively improve and see challenges as opportunities for growth. Next was an identity workshop by Fuqua’s Office of Diversity and an alumni panel featuring accomplished female leaders who shared insights on articulating one’s value, pursuing joy, and exploring varied paths to leadership.
Keynote Speech
The evening culminated with a formal dinner at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in Durham, NC, where keynote speaker Cari Coats, co-founder of Accendo Leadership Advisory Group, shared her journey and defining moments. Cari highlighted the underrepresentation of women in leadership and shared a sobering statistic: achieving global gender parity will take five generations, showing the urgency for us to accelerate change.
My Work in Global Health
In my work with S-ITEST, a research project focused on sustaining youth-driven HIV prevention strategies, mentorship and collaboration are central to our approach.
Our team also does similar work on HPV, empowering Nigerian girls and women to design and implement solutions for HPV vaccination and screening. 4 Youth By Youth is a team of young people, health professionals, activists, and entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, who are united by the shared passion to advance Nigerian youth participation in innovation and entrepreneurship for sustainable health services. These efforts are demonstrating how diverse perspectives promotes innovation while strengthening leadership in global health.
So, how can we, as a community continue to drive this change? Whether through mentorship programs or amplifying women’s voices at every level, the responsibility lies with all of us. Let us take collective action to dismantle barriers, cultivate inclusive spaces, and empower the next generation of women leaders in global health.
– Submitted by Ujunwa Onyeama, MPH