Strengthening Gender, Equity and Rights in National Digital Health Strategies: Three online conversations

Since 2015, Professor Arash Rashidian (MD, PhD) is leading the WHO regional agenda on evidence-informed policy making, health information systems, digital health, research promotion and governance, and knowledge sharing. His career in health policy research and health system development spans 25 years and several countries.

He is the Executive Editor of the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal – WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean’s flagship publication. He was the Vice-Chair of WHO’s Guideline Review Committee (2021-2025), and the Chair of WHO EMRO publication committee (2017-2025). During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Rashidian led the research and knowledge management pillar of the WHO response management team in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

He is Affiliate Professor in the Department of Health Metrics Sciences at the University of Washington and Professor of Health Policy (on unpaid leave) at the School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). His positions before 2015 include: Deputy Chancellor, TUMS, Iran; founding Director, National Institute of Health Research, Iran; Honorary Visiting Professor, Imperial College, London, UK; Honorary Professor, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran; Visiting Professor, School of Pharmacy, TUMS, Iran; methodological advisor, National Collaborating Centre for Acute Care (affiliated to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), UK; Assistant Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK; Visiting Associate Professor, Aga Khan University, Pakistan and Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Bangor University, UK.

He has conducted policy development, policy implementation, and institutional building in over 20 countries. He has authored strategic policy documents, advised national health policy committees and health insurance organizations, developed and taught post-graduate programs in health policy and economics, supervised over 30 PhD students, and co-authored over 200 academic papers (h-index: 70; January 2026).

Ayman graduated from Cairo university medical school then completed his masters’ degree in International Healthcare Systems Management in Innsbruck, Austria. Through his work as Right to Health researcher, he lead a number of research and advocacy efforts that aim at guaranteeing the realization of the right to health to Egyptians, giving them access to universal healthcare coverage and ensuring their rights are protected.

Ayman is the co-founder and CEO of the Egyptian social enterprise “Shamseya”, a problem solver of challenges facing healthcare that creates participatory, technology-enabled solutions putting patients and their needs front and center.

He studied strategic litigation to achieve the Right to Health at the Harvard School of Public Health and currently teaches at the International Health and Social Management Masters degree at the Management Center Innsbruck. He was awarded the Obama Foundation Fellowship for the year 2019.

Mr. Khaled Hassine has over 25 years of experience in economic, social and cultural rights, international human rights mechanisms, remedies and accountability frameworks. He joined the United Nations in 1999, and currently leads the Health Cluster within the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Section of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

His work integrates normative development with applied policy and operational analysis as well as contemporary human rights analysis and expertise on digital technologies, including issues of digital inclusion, data governance, emerging technologies and their implications for equality, participation, and access to health and social protection. He also has extensive experience in technical cooperation, advising UN peace operations, research institutes and IGOs/NGOs and Governments across regions on the implementation of economic, social and cultural rights.

As a lawyer and industrial economist, DDr. Hassine, LL.M. is a published expert and has lectured at several tertiary institutions. He holds two doctorates cum laude—in law and in philosophy (political science)—as well as an LL.M. and a DESS from Sorbonne University, and has received Academia awards.

Kathryn Johnson is a Policy Specialist with the HIV and Health Group at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bangkok Regional Hub. She works across Asia and the Pacific on health governance, human rights and inclusive policy reform, supporting cross-sector approaches that link health, development and equity. Trained as a lawyer, she works with governments, civil society and multilateral partners to strengthen accountable institutions and embed gender, equity and rights into health and development responses, including in the context of digital transformation and AI.

Dr. Patricia (Patty) Mechael is a global digital health and AI governance leader with nearly 30 years of experience advancing equitable health systems across 45+ countries. She is CEO and Co-Founder of health.enabled and leads the Global Digital Health Monitor, supporting governments to design and measure digital transformation strategies that strengthen primary healthcare.

A Senior Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, she champions gender-intentional digital health—ensuring technologies are designed, financed, and governed to address structural inequities and expand opportunity for women and girls. Her work centers on inclusive AI, accountability, and measurable impact.

Tariq Alaoui is a human rights and public health advocate with over 20 years of experience in HIV, LGBTQ+ rights, and community-led initiatives across the MENA region. President co-founder of Kaynin Plus -Morocco (National network of PLHIV in Morocco ); He is currently the MENA Regional Focal Point at GNP+ and previously served as Director of Programs at MENA Community (Network of PLHIV in MENA Region ), where he led regional advocacy, governance strengthening, and partnerships with international and community-based actors. He is also the founder of QIRAT Consulting, focusing on community-led advocacy, public health, and human rights.

Tara Imalingat is a global health and human rights lawyer and researcher passionate about advancing human rights-based, equitable and inclusive digital health governance in low- and middle income countries. She works as the Advocacy and impact coordinator at the University of Warwick’s Centre for interdisciplinary Methodologies (CIM) for the Digital Health and Rights Project (DHRP), an international research and policy consortium that uses transnational participatory action research to produce evidence to inform national and global health governance.

Meg Davis is Professor of Digital Health and Rights at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies (CIM), University of Warwick. She is also Research and Impact Director for CIM. She co-founded and serves as project lead for the Digital Health and Rights Project consortium. Her most recent book is The Uncounted: Politics of data in global health (Cambridge 2020).