Global Health Fellows (GHF) is Pfizer’s signature skills-based volunteering program, empowering colleagues to lend their skills and expertise to global health partners in underserved communities around the world. For over 20 years, the program has helped to strengthen health systems and close the health equity gap in communities that need it most.
Through the program, Pfizer colleagues have participated in pro bono consulting projects across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the U.S., where they work alongside local nonprofits and organizations to address pressing healthcare challenges. From helping to improve data transparency in Kenya to expanding access to public health insurance in Zanzibar, Global Health Fellows are making a meaningful difference.
The Leo Project
In Kenya, a team of Global Health fellows supported a local clinic operated by The Leo Project, a community-based organization driving social change through education, health, and community outreach. “Through ongoing conversations, it became clear how important having access to community-level data is,” said Christine Rossin, Senior Director, Pfizer Statistics Program, who was on the ground in Nanyuki, Kenya. “It gave us the insights we needed to identify key issues, which then helped us pivot and refine our approach.”
The team worked closely with the staff from The Leo Project to uncover the root cause of the data access challenges – a communication breakdown with their database vendor. By helping the organization resolve this issue, Pfizer’s team of Global Health Fellows were able to help train a staff member on data visualization software and create a customized dashboard to track key performance indicators.
“Being able to transform raw data into insightful visuals and reports in one platform is a dream come true,” said Grace Mbithi, Medical Records Officer, The Leo Project. “This will empower us to make data-driven decisions that will improve patient care and operations.”
Photo credit: The Leo Project
PharmAccess
In Zanzibar and Tanzania, teams of Global Health Fellows collaborated with PharmAccess, a global organization improving access to better healthcare by helping the government implement a new public health insurance program to reach at-risk populations. “PharmAccess has been a longtime partner of Global Health Fellows,” explained Catherine Robinson, Senior Director, Pfizer International Government Affairs. “We worked with them to support a project with the government to implement a health equity fund to cover the indigent population on the island.”
During in-person visits to government offices, the Fellows gained a deeper understanding of the infrastructure and data limitations that were impacting progress. “We saw early on that there wasn’t consistent access to data at the community level,” said Catherine. “Our goal was to identify the eligible population for the health equity fund and provide input on how the government, working with donors, could finance it.”
Collaborating in-person with the PharmAccess team helped Fellows gain critical insights they wouldn’t have uncovered remotely, allowing them to map out a practical strategy to move implementation forward.
Photo credit: PharmAccess
IFPW Foundation
In partnership with IFPW Foundation, an organization working to improve availability and accessibility to safe medicines, Pfizer Fellows provided “coaching” to local supply chain healthcare professionals through the Strategic Training Executive Program (STEP 2.0). By building up the skills of healthcare professionals in areas such as inventory management, distribution, and data tracking, Pfizer is helping to improve access to essential medicines.
“I’ve worked in drug development throughout my entire career,” said Hari Prasad Narasimhan, Group Lead, Pfizer Global Medical Devices and Combination Products, who participated in the India STEP 2.0 initiative. “Unlike in large metro cities, railroads and even internet connectivity in these areas can’t be taken for granted. Restocking the warehouse, updating the database, and ensuring appropriate delivery of medicines were the key challenges, and this program enabled us to provide solutions.”
The Global Health Fellows program has also deployed Pfizer colleagues to support supply chain optimization initiatives through STEP 2.0 in countries including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, India, Pakistan, and across Southeast Asia.
Photo credit: Empower School of Health
Since its inception in 2003, nearly 1,000 Pfizer colleagues have participated in the Global Health Fellows program. By volunteering their diverse expertise, colleagues are creating positive impact in communities around the world. As Catherine Robinson said, “It’s amazing. It’s been the highlight of my time at Pfizer. If I could, I would do it every year. It felt so good to be close to a community.”
