Global Health NOW: Global Health Leadership: The Urgent Need
Claire Bayntun, director of global leadership programs at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

“The consensus for the need for strong leadership within global health has been growing over a number of years. … Leaders who lack the required leadership skills and essential political and cultural acumen pose significant organizational, team, and individual risks. … By contrast, those with excellent leadership skills are invaluable in these settings — ensuring long-term sustainable change to the health of numerous populations. … Reflection and refocus is needed, allowing leaders to think, operate, fund, collaborate, and behave differently. It is imperative that the global health community embraces the need for change, seizes this momentum, and recognizes the importance of exceptional leadership to be able to achieve ambitious health goals. Training and empowering our global health community in this, the ‘Art of Leadership,’ is fundamental to ensuring a healthier global future” (8/3).