Our Impact
Communities most vulnerable to preventable suffering and deaths are the least likely to have access to quality care. HEAL connects, trains, and mentors the healthcare workers who care for those communities to prevent burnout and equip them to bring quality care closer to those who need it the most. HEAL supports local healthcare workers who are passionate and committed to improving the health of their communities, so they can drive systemic, lasting change. That’s why, since our founding in 2015, in partnership with local governments and healthcare institutions:
63%
Of HEAL Fellows stayed at their site at least a year after program completion
$3M
Invested in professional development for healthcare workers treating underserved patients
88%
Of HEAL Fellows report that HEAL changed their approach to work in healthcare
Over the past decade, HEAL saw a shifting need in global health—the need for locally owned and led health system solutions. So, HEAL decentralized and adapted our global programming to focus on location-specific programs rooted in the communities they serve. Continuing our 10+ years of global partnerships, HEAL carries forward our core model of connecting, training, and mentoring healthcare workers in underserved communities, leading to higher retention of healthcare workers equipped to make systemic change and a stronger workforce where patients need it most. Together, this leads to improved patient outcomes.
theory of change
We identify and partner with healthcare institutions and local governments worldwide that serve underserved communities and share HEAL’s values.
We recruit healthcare workers deeply committed to the communities in which we work and who are passionate and committed to caring for the underserved.
We provide intensive training in advocacy, leadership, and power dynamics and shift health workers’ approach to healthcare to address the root causes of disease, not just the symptoms.
We pair fellows with mentors from similar cultural backgrounds who provide tailored guidance to help set and achieve professional goals.
We connect healthcare workers with a global community of peers facing similar barriers and create a space to share ideas, develop collaborative solutions, and offer mutual support.
Impact by Region
Historically, HEAL has partnered in 10 countries and Navajo and Zuni Nations. While HEAL continues to practice solidarity with all partner sites, we are currently doubling down with programs in California, Global, Navajo & Zuni Nations, Malawi, and Mexico. Hover over each location to learn more about our impact and click into the active* partner impact pages.
Mexico
1st HEAL program delivered completely in Spanish
After eight years of partnerships in rural Chiapas, Mexico, HEAL co-created the Mexico Leadership Program for non-English-speaking healthcare workers to gain the skills and resources to advance in their careers and make long-term improvements in their historically underfunded national healthcare system.
Navajo & Zuni Nations
Research shows that culturally concordant care results in better patient outcomes. 82% of Southwest Leadership Fellows serving Indigenous communities identify as Indigenous.
Building on over a decade of partnership with local leaders and health delivery sites across Navajo Nation, HEAL is focusing its efforts to address Navajo and Zuni Nations’ most pressing healthcare problem—nursing shortages—with a culturally grounded leadership program.
California
8 different professions represented across California HEAL Fellows
HEAL is partnering with local health leaders across California to address the healthcare workforce shortage by connecting, training, and mentoring healthcare workers who serve resource-denied communities, so they can stay and make long-term improvements in healthcare.
Malawi
67% of Malawian HEAL Alumni stay in rural Neno District, despite historically high turnover rates
To close the gaps caused by historic understaffing, resource scarcity, and climate shocks, HEAL is partnering with the Government and Partners In Health, Malawi, to strategically build the capacity of health centers serving the most rural and underserved communities by supporting the healthcare workers who run them.
Global
1 in 3 Alumni are still engaged in HEAL as mentors, teachers, or program leaders
In 2015, HEAL started our Global HEAL Program as an alternative to the traditional global health model. Grounded in solidarity, the program pairs U.S. physicians with healthcare workers already serving resource-denied communities globally to improve retention and promote collaborative healthcare system improvements. Global alumni continue to be actively engaged in current HEAL programs, up to eight years beyond their fellowship.
Nepal
23 HEAL Fellows have served resource-denied communities in Nepal over
11 years of Partnership
Uganda
6 HEAL Fellows have served resource-denied communities in Uganda over
5 years of partnership
Haiti
8 HEAL Fellows served resource-denied communities in Haiti over
4 years of partnership
Mali
9 HEAL Fellows served resource-denied communities in Mali over
8 years of partnership
Liberia
26 HEAL Fellows served resource-denied communities in Liberia over
11 years of partnership
Rwanda
16 HEAL Fellows served resource-denied communities in Rwanda over
8 years of partnership
India
18 HEAL Fellows served resource-denied communities in India over
5 years of partnership
Stories of Impact
