
Advocacy & Policy
At PATH, we know it is not enough to create solutions to health problems. To achieve health equity, PATH's advocacy and policy team helps policymakers, advocates, and citizens make evidence-based policy and funding decisions that bring these solutions to scale. But we don’t stop there—we also hold decision-makers accountable for their commitments.
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What we do
PATH is an expert in driving change through policy. For four decades, we have applied our technical expertise and leveraged our influential partnerships with public and private-sector leaders to inform and advocate for action that responds to communities' health priorities.
We inform policies, mobilize resources, and advocate for actions that will lead to lasting positive change with a focus on:
Reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health and nutrition to help women, families and communities thrive.
Immunization that reaches every child to protect them from serious illnesses and deadly diseases.
Innovation to develop and scale new technologies, whether they are vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, or system innovations including data and digital tools.
Elimination and control of diseases including infectious and noncommunicable diseases and neglected tropical diseases.
Preparedness to fight emerging health threats and end pandemics.
Access to essential medicines and technologies for all that are affordable, appropriate, and quality-assured.
When it comes to improving health, smart policies and robust resources can make all the difference between a promising idea and an accessible health solution or program. Our experts analyze the policy environment to identify where new or different policies are needed to advance progress against priority health challenges. We develop policies, strategies, legislation, and guidelines to overcome these challenges.
We encourage decision-makers to craft policies, commit resources, and sponsor initiatives that improve health. It often starts with raising visibility of the issue and building political will to move forward. Then we gather and communicate evidence to ensure that policymakers understand the multiple facets of an issue. We then engage decision-makers to ensure they advance evidence-based policies. We don’t stop until these policies are written and adopted, resources are mobilized, and the policies are fully implemented and monitored to ensure accountability.
We build champions to ensure our issues are prioritized for action. This includes political champions but also other influential voices such as healthcare professionals, scientists, researchers, academics, business leaders, faith community leaders, and patients. We give them the information, and opportunities they need to be effective advocates for health equity.
Citizen mobilization and empowerment is critical to generating demand and ensuring accountability for quality-assured, affordable, and accessible health services. PATH creates platforms to elevate citizen voices and concerns, foster dialogue between citizens and the policymakers who serve them, and involve citizens in the planning and monitoring of health and social services. Such platforms serve to influence changes in policies, budgets, and point-of-care service delivery that make a tangible difference in the daily lives of those we aim to serve
Coalitions are an indispensable tool for advocacy in today’s complex policy environment. When diverse groups unite for a common cause, their collective action can add real momentum to advocacy efforts and increase the likelihood of impact.PATH has a long history of building successful coalitions that shape policies and promote investments in high-priority health areas. We leverage both our extensive network of partnerships and our footprint in more than 70 countries to bring a mix of public-sector, private-sector, and nongovernmental stakeholders to the table.
Local health advocates play a pivotal role in the development and implementation of policies and budgets to improve health in their countries. With a deep understanding of the issues and strong, established relationships with members of their communities and governments, they have the necessary knowledge and connections. PATH works with individual advocates, organizations, and coalitions to help ensure supportive health policies, secure adequate funding, and hold their leaders accountable to fulfill health promises. PATH supports advocates as they develop strategies and messages to influence policies and form networks that have real impact. Our support helps build the skills and knowledge base that foster the changes that advocates can replicate time and again.
For more than a decade, PATH has supported the adoption of evidence-based, adequately-resourced, and impactful policies. With locally staffed projects in more than 70 countries, and deep expertise across a range of health areas, we are a trusted partner to government decision-makers and civil society advocates. We work with national and subnational governments to advance evidence-based policymaking and to ensure civil society is engaged in these processes. For greater impact and sustainability, we partner with local civil society organizations, enabling them to lead and demand accountability from governments. Read more about our approach here.
Our global team
Advocacy has been part of PATH’s work since our founding more than 40 years ago. PATH has conducted advocacy globally and in more than 50 countries. Today, PATH’s team of advocacy professionals around the world works at all levels with governments, civil society, the private sector, and other development partners to advance policy initiatives that result in better health outcomes for women, children, and families. Our multidisciplinary staff includes public health experts with experience in diverse cultural contexts, as well as business and policy strategists skilled in translating promising ideas into approaches that have a lasting impact on health
Meet the team
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Heather Ignatius
Managing Director, External Affairs
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Rosemarie Muganda-Onyando
Regional Advocacy Director, Africa
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Marti Wilson
Finance and Administration Manager
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Kelly Healy
Co-Lead, Advocacy Partnership
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Rachel Ndirangu
Co-Lead, Advocacy Partnership
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Jacqueline Achieng
Program Officer, Media and Communications
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Deogratias Agaba
Senior Communications Officer
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Elizabeth Bazuaye
Program Assistant- Advocacy and Public Policy
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Mariana Becerra
Policy & Advocacy Officer
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Jenny Blair
Manager, US & Global Policy and Advocacy
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Taonga Chilalika
Advocacy and Policy Officer
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Claire Felten
Senior Advocacy and Policy Associate
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Pauline Irungu
Global Policy & Advocacy Advisor
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Josphine Kinyanjui
Advocacy and Policy Officer
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Wanjiku Manguyu
Regional Advocacy and Policy Advisor
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Diketso Mphafudi
Program Associate
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Rebecca Mwima
Program Assistant- Advocacy and Public Policy
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Esther Nasikye
Advocacy and Policy Lead, Uganda
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Jamie Nishi
Executive Director, Global Health Technologies Coalition
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Frederick Okwi
Program Officer
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Johnpaul Omollo
Senior Policy Officer, R&D
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Clayton Opiyo
Advocacy and Policy Officer
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Hannah Sachs-Wetstone
Program Assistant, GHTC
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Martha Songa
Regional Advocacy and Policy Officer
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Melissa Wanda
Policy & Advocacy Officer, Kenya
Our Resources
Browse resources and publications from our program in the PATH resource database.