Pascale Allotey

Dr Pascale Allotey is an internationally recognized leader in gender equity, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and the advancement of human rights within global health. She currently serves as Director of the World Health Organization’s Department of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health and Ageing: Advancing Life Course Health and Reproduction (LHR), and leads HRP, the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction. A nurse, midwife, and public health specialist by training, Dr Allotey brings over 30 years of experience across clinical practice, implementation research, health systems, and community engagement. Her academic and professional journey reflects an unwavering commitment to feminist leadership, the decolonization of global health, and the elevation of lived experience in evidence, policy and decision-making. She has consistently championed the inclusion of diverse perspectives in global fora, advancing equity-driven approaches within the UN system, national governments, civil society, and academic institutions. Dr Allotey holds a PhD in Public Health and a Master of Medical Science in Community Health from the University of Western Australia, and a BA in Nursing and Psychology from the University of Ghana. Her interdisciplinary expertise spans anthropology, epidemiology, and health policy, and she has published extensively on gender, health inequities, harmful practices, migrant health, and human rights-based approaches to SRHR. Prior to joining WHO, Dr Allotey was Director of the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH), where she led institutional efforts to embed gender and intersectionality in health governance. Her previous roles include Professor of Public Health at Monash University (Malaysia), where she co-founded the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO), and Professor of Race, Diversity and Professional Practice at Brunel University in the United Kingdom. Originally from Ghana, Dr Allotey is a leading voice for transformational change in global health—committed to inclusive leadership, equity-centered systems, and the amplification of voices from the field.