Dr David Nabarro appointed as IGHI co-director

The Institute of Global Health Innovation is delighted to appoint Dr David Nabarro as co-director.

Dr Nabarro will join Professor the Lord Ara Darzi in leading the Institute. Together, they will advance the Institute towards its vision of reduced inequalities in global health – sustained for generations to come.

Former Special Advisor to the UN and nominee for the WHO Director-General, Dr Nabarro was appointed as Professor within IGHI last year. Since then Dr Nabarro has been serving as an expert advisor on global health and healthcare policy for the growing Institute, working to strengthen international ties with a focus on low- and middle-income countries.

I’m looking forward with great enthusiasm to help IGHI bolster its cross-College collaborations and leverage the brilliant global health community at Imperial and beyond. Dr Nabarro Co-Director, IGHI

“Since joining IGHI I’ve learnt first-hand about the ambitious and powerful multi-disciplinary work being done by this Institute in order to improve the lives and well-being of people across the world,” said Dr Nabarro.

“I’m honoured to be able to continue this journey as co-director. I’m looking forward with great enthusiasm to help IGHI bolster its cross-College collaborations and leverage the brilliant global health community at Imperial and beyond. Our mission is to encourage consistent focus on the needs of all people, particularly those who are most vulnerable, within present and future generations.”

Sustainable solutions

Dr Nabarro is the strategic director of his Switzerland-based social enterprise 4SD, an organisation that supports leaders who are responsible for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He also advises the UN Secretary-General in preparing for an ambitious Climate Action summit being convened in September 2019: his focus is on incorporating nature-based solutions within the Climate Agenda. He is curator of the multi-stakeholder Food Systems Dialogues which are increasing the alignment of the many actors involved in the future of food systems.

Throughout his career Dr Nabarro has focused on collective action for tackling a range of global issues including disease outbreaks, food insecurity and undernutrition. He is increasingly focused on the need for an urgent response to the climate emergency. In recognition of his successful leadership activities to galvanize policy-makers to prioritise food and nutrition, last year Dr Nabarro shared the World Food Prize.

Dr Nabarro’s wealth of knowledge and experience about pressing issues facing mankind will help accelerate our progress so that we can make even greater strides in the transformation of healthcare across the globe. Prof Darzi Co-Director, IGHI

Dr Nabarro will now work with Prof Darzi to shape IGHI’s strategy for intensified transformation of global health and healthcare through evidence-based innovation. By developing both national and international research programmes and building links with other global institutes, the co-directors will prime the Institute to tackle some of the world’s most pressing health challenges.

“I’m immensely proud of our Institute’s achievements and impact to date, but there is still much to be done to reach our ambitions,” said Prof Darzi.

“Dr Nabarro’s wealth of knowledge and experience about pressing issues facing mankind, from food security to climate change, will help accelerate our progress so that we can make even greater strides in the transformation of healthcare across the globe. I look forward to embarking on what I believe will be a truly fruitful co-leadership.”

IGHI has a number of major research focus areas, from surgical innovation to health policy, around which it has established multi-disciplinary centres of excellence. These carry out the Institute’s cutting-edge research, translation and education activities, and include the Hamlyn Centre for Medical Robotics and the Helix Centre for Design in Healthcare. With the health needs of today constantly evolving in an ever-changing modern world, IGHI continues to expand its expertise into new areas so that it can respond to issues and opportunities as they arise, such as mental health and cyber security.

“I’m thrilled to have appointed Dr Nabarro as a co-director of IGHI, a position well-matched to his outstanding career and ambitions for the future of healthcare,” said Professor Nick Jennings, Imperial College London’s Vice-Provost for Research and Enterprise.

“With Dr Nabarro’s co-leadership, the College is excited at the opportunity to further expand the Institute’s sphere of influence on health and care, reaching new areas where our research can have the greatest impact on patients, professionals and health systems alike.”