A perspective piece summarizing THEnet’s collaborative research and what works across contexts
Health inequities, are deepening, amplified by climate stress, and economic pressures, with growing gaps in access and outcomes
Inequities are avoidable, rooted in social conditions and system choices, including resourcing, discrimination, and rural access
Education institutions need tools and credible outcome evidence to secure support and adapt for rapid change, including AI and new care models
Equity efforts stall without community partnership, cross-sector collaboration, and learning loops that drive improvements and sustainable impact
We are a global community of practice of innovative, socially accountable academic institutions and experts committed to eliminating health inequities. We address challenges through:
We listen and learn from communities, member schools, and partners, drawing on our institutions’ work with local health systems. We identify what works, in what context, to improve equity, access, and workforce distribution, including in rural areas. We share evidence and practical tools so schools, governments, and funders can act.
We build on learning and evidence to shape policies and funding levers that improve equity, access, and workforce distribution, including rural and underserved areas. We work with governments and partners to strengthen fair entry to the professions and better work environments. We advocate for incentives and requirements that reward outcomes.
We leverage member experience to support institutions, governments, and funders. Support ranges from system guidance to tailored advising, mentoring, and training. We help teams clarify a theory of transformation, design cross-sector engagement, and assess progress through context-aligned graduate outcomes and impact tracking.
All activities and programs of socially accountable schools are designed, conducted, and evaluated in genuine partnership with the communities they serve.
Institutions that train health workers design their education, research, and service activities to meet the needs of the communities they serve—with priorities jointly defined by multiple stakeholders, including the populations in greatest need.
Everyone should have a fair opportunity to live a long, healthy life with access to high-quality health services.
Charlie Labarda, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Medicine and Dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM-SHS), where he has taught for more than a decade. He is a regular member of the National research Council of the Philippines, belonging to the Medical Sciences Division (Division III). Before joining the medical faculty at UPM-SHS he trained in at the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Philippine General Hospital. He finished his PhD in the Department of Psychology at The University of Hong Kong, his Master in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management (high honors), Doctor of Medicine (cum laude) at the Our Lady of Fatima University-College of Medicine, and his undergraduate Social Sciences studies (cum laude) at UP Tacloban College. He was a topnotcher in the Physician Licensure Examination (8th place).
He served as the Unit Faculty Representative to the All UP Academic Employees Union-Manila Chapter. He is also part of the UPM-SHS core faculty for the Leadership and Development Program (LDP) capacitating local chief executives (governors and mayors) in strengthening their health systems to achieve the goals of universal health care and sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the Philippine government. He also volunteers as civil society partner of DSWD in its 4Ps Program as Vice-Chairperson for the National Independent Monitoring Committee (NIMC). He also helps in various DOH and WHO projects in line with his advocacies around medical education, health equity, disaster public health, resilient and healthy communities, and mental health especially in low resource settings. Recently he became part of the Data Science for Public Policy Working Group based at the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP-CIDS), promoting the use of data science for public policy.
Dr. Dharamsi currently serves as the Dean of the College of Public Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. With 25 years of experience, he brings an interdisciplinary background and extensive international and community development experience as an educator, scholar, and administrator.
Dr. Dharamsi’s academic journey began in Canada, where he earned an interdisciplinary PhD from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and achieved tenure in the Department of Family Medicine. He also co-directed the UBC Center for International Health.
His work is at the intersection of public health, medical humanities, global health, ethics, and the social determinants of health.
Born in Tanzania, Dr. Dharamsi is a first-generation high school and college graduate. He is deeply committed to student success. He began his career as an inner-city schoolteacher.
His career includes leadership roles as regional director for early childhood development and poverty alleviation in East Africa with the Aga Khan Development Network, founding associate dean of the School of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, dean of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso, and senior advisor to the provost at New Mexico State University.
Dedicated to advancing public health, Dr. Dharamsi actively serves on the boards of several national and international organizations, including the ASPPH Global Engagement and Partnerships Advisory Committee.
