Women in Global Health (WGH) was founded in 2015 by Dr. Roopa Dhatt, together with co-founders Caity Jackson, Kris Ronsin, and Dr. Désirée Lichtenstein, united by a shared vision to advance women’s leadership in global health. Under Dr. Dhatt’s leadership as Founding Executive Director (2015–2024), WGH evolved from a grassroots collective action initiative into a recognized global network with more than 60 chapters. During this period, WGH obtained consultative status at both the World Health Organization and the United Nations, and contributed to bringing gender equity in health leadership onto the global policy agenda.

Dr. Dhatt’s leadership during the organization’s formative years laid the foundation for the WGH movement to grow and diversify, positioning it to continue advancing its mission as a collective, inclusive, and global effort led by women worldwide.

In recognition of her role as co-founder and her contributions over nearly a decade of service, WGH confers upon Dr. Roopa Dhatt the honorary title of Executive Director Emerita.

In her own words:

“We co-created WGH to be an unstoppable movement, challenging power and privilege so that the women who deliver health could also lead health. Through collective action, we aspired to transform health systems to value women as the leaders they are—ensuring fair pay, safe workplaces free from violence, and pathways to leadership. This would unleash the triple gender dividend in health. Women deliver health to 5 billion people; if they are enabled, we can achieve Universal Health Coverage – health for all.

What we accomplished in the past decade would not have been possible without the thousands of women who volunteered their time and energy to drive this shared vision.”