The WHO Academy Quality Committee is proud to announce the appointment of Peggy Maguire, Director-General of the European Institute of Women’s Health, to its Board.
Peggy, a Political Scientist, has worked with the European Union for the last twenty-five years highlighting the need for gender equity in biomedical research, public health, and social policy. In her role as Director-General of the European Institute of Women’s Health (EIWH), she is responsible for directing strategic planning and policy implementation.
Peggy brings her unique experience to the Academy through her scope of activity and advocacy work on health disparity issues for women as well as for aging populations. Her experience working with diverse health professions, government officials and policymakers will be an important asset for the Quality Committee as they work alongside the Academy staff in integrating patient perspectives in learning, promoting adoption of learning programmes and credentials.
With her background in gender and health equity as well as research, Peggy is positioned to support learners and patients in low-resourced countries. Additionally, she will promote more inclusivity where a gap exists in education of learners, health workers and policymakers.
As part of her commitment to gender equality, Peggy has been part of the WHO expert group on gender mainstreaming. She was a member of the expert group and contributed to the WHO Women’s Health Strategy for Europe. Peggy has initiated and contributed to EU funded projects such as Engender, an inventory of good practices in Europe for promoting gender equity in health. She also worked on the Joint Action on Chronic Disease, Chrodis – EU Commission Joint Action, Engendering Research Ethics Committees and EUGenMed, and led research and workshops on Sex and Gender in Healthcare Professional Education.
Peggy aims to work with the Academy to improve health outcomes by understanding perspectives and impact from patient experiences. She is invested in patient community perspectives and will draw on her rich background and experiences to inform the work of the Quality Committee.
The WHO Academy has championed gender, equity and rights through its mission, values, and learning programmes. For this and a myriad of other reasons, Peggy Maguire was a clear choice for the Academy’s Quality Committee. With her background in research, public health, and gender equity, the Committee looks forward to her valuable contributions in furthering the Academy’s goals.