The Governing Council of the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) plays a pivotal role in shaping the global public health agenda. They offer global public health leadership as the Federation’s primary decision-making body. The Council comprises esteemed public health professionals and representatives from member associations worldwide, all dedicated to advancing health equity, improving health systems, and promoting evidence-based public health policies.
Working collaboratively, the Governing Council provides strategic direction, ensuring that the WFPHA remains at the forefront of addressing emerging health challenges, advocating for sustainable public health practices, and fostering global partnerships. The Council implements WFPHA’s vision, mission, and programs while maintaining a strong commitment to inclusivity, innovation, and scientific rigor.
With a global perspective and a deep commitment to public health advocacy, the Governing Council upholds the Federation’s core values—equity, solidarity, and social justice—while striving to improve the health and well-being of populations worldwide.
Prof. Raman Bedi
President
Faculty of Public Health UK
Prof. Raman Bedi is an Emeritus Professor at King’s College London. He holds several international honorary chairs, including an “Extraordinary Professorship” in Pediatric Dentistry at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa and at the University of Pennsylvania. Raman was the founding chair of the WFPHA’s oral health working group and a WHO consultant who reviewed dental services in Oman. He was President of the British Society for Disability and Oral Health, the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Education Research Group, and the IADR Regional Development Program Committee Chair.
Emma Rawson-Te Patu
Immediate Past President
Public Health Association of New Zealand
Emma Rawson-Te Patu, a director of ManuKahu Associates, Indigenous Consultants, is from the tribal groups of Ngati Ranginui, Ngai te Rangi, Raukawa, and Ngati Haua in Aotearoa / New Zealand. Emma is President of the World Federation of Public Health Associations, the first Indigenous woman to hold this role. Emma is a founding member of the Indigenous Working Group of the WFPHA. She is a Researcher/Trainer, experienced facilitator, and proud health promoter. Emma has a Master of Philosophy with Honors (First Class) in Institutional racism in Public Health. Emma, an expert advisor, has recently contracted with the WHO and has been a consultant with the New Zealand Human Rights Commission. Emma’s passion is developing training and frameworks for dismantling institutional racism, supporting culturally responsive, human rights-based public health approaches, and socially/culturally conscious business strategy and organizational development. Emma is developing a global Indigenous public health institute in collaboration with broader Indigenous networks in the global health space.
Prof. Luis Eugenio De Souza
Immediate President
Brazilian Association of Collective Health
Professor at the Federal University of Bahia, Prof. De Sousa, has a degree in Medicine, a Master’s degree in Community Health, and a Doctorate in Public Health from the University of Montreal. In addition to his academic activities, he has held important political and managerial positions, including serving as Director General of the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Health. He has been a leading member of the Brazilian Association of Collective Health (Abrasco). He is the current President of the World Federation of Public Health Associations.
Prof. Julienne Louise Ngo Likeng
Africa
Cameroon Public Health Association
Prof. Julienne Louise Ngo Likeng (PhD) is a medical anthropologist, lecturer, and coordinator of the Master’s and PhD programs in Public Health at the School of Health Sciences of the Catholic University of Central Africa.She currently manages a project called CODI (Considering Difference) and trains young researchers to handle fieldwork and field trips. Julienne is the executive director of the Cameroon Public Health Association and a member of the Scientific Committee of the School of Health Sciences of the Catholic University of Central Africa.
Dr. Elsheikh Badr
Eastern Mediterranean
Sudan Public Health Association
Dr. Elsheikh Badr is a public health physician and a health workforce expert and strategist with over 20 years of service in senior health systems and health workforce positions in Sudan and beyond. Since 2019, Dr. Badr has served as a policy expert with the National Qualifications Center, UAE (Ministry of Education), working on the National Institute for Health Specialties (NIHS) project to develop postgraduate health professions education capacity. He is currently part of the NIHS team working in areas relating to governance, accreditation, assessment, and CPD.
Dr. Deogratias Sekimpi
Africa
Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health
Dr. Deogratias Sekimpi has been a public health specialist for over 40 years and has been in the Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health (UNACOH) leadership since 1987. He was a founding member, Secretary General, and President of UNACOH and is Acting Executive Director. He led various advocacy, public awareness, research, training, and UNACOH health development projects and programs. He represents Africa’s WFPHA Governing Council.
Dr. Al Ounoud Al Marzouqi
Eastern Mediterranean
Emirates Public Health Association
Dr. Al Ounoud Al Marzouqi is an Assistant Professor at the College of Health Sciences at the University of Sharjah. She is a former Director of the Quality Office at Dubai Hospital. She has worked as the Acting Assistant Director of Administrative and Financial Affairs at Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital, Khorfakkan Hospital, and Al Kuwait Hospital in Dubai.
Dr. Deanna Wathington
Americas
American Public Health Association
Dr. Deanna Wathington is a family physician and public health leader with expertise in health equity, maternal and child health, and community health. She has held senior academic leadership roles, including Founding Dean, and currently serves as President of the American Public Health Association. Her work focuses on reducing health disparities, advancing equitable healthcare systems, and strengthening public health education and community-based initiatives.
Dr. Ramón Anulfo López Ledesma
Americas
Dominican Society of Public Health
President of the Dominican Society of Public Health of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Ramón Anulfo López Ledesma, is a physician, specialist in Health and Social Security Management, and Professor of Quality, Global Health, and Bioethics. He is the Executive Director of the Alliance of Public Health Associations of the Americas. He is a former alternate member of the Executive Council of the WHO. He has worked in the community, health, and education areas for over two decades through the Foundation Sol Naciente. He represents the Americas’s WFPHA Governing Council.
Dr. Katherine Ann Reyes
Western Pacific
Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians
Dr. Katherine Ann Reyes was formerly the Executive Director of the Alliance for Improving Health Outcomes, a nonprofit public health research and consultancy organization in the Philippines. She was also the Western Pacific representative to the Board of Trustees of Health Systems Global. She now heads the Health Promotion Program of the University of the Philippines – National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Tarun Weeramanthri
Western Pacific
Public Health Association of Australia
Tarun Weeramanthri is Immediate Past President of the Public Health Association of Australia and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Population and Global Health at the University of Western Australia. He is a trained specialist in internal medicine and public health and has a PhD in Social Medicine. He has extensive experience in disaster and emergency preparedness and response. He represents the Western Pacific region on the WFPHA Governing Council.
Prof. Lucy Parker
Europe
Spanish Society for Public Health
Dr. Lucy Anne Parker is an associate professor of Preventative Medicine and Public Health at the University Miguel Hernández of Elche, Spain. She is an active member of this university’s Global Health research group and coordinator of the Masters program in Development Cooperation in Health. She has diverse international experience after working several years with Medecins sans Frontieres and running a large research project in Ecuador. She is a committed member of the Spanish Society for Public Health and Health Administration (SESPAS) and was one of the prominent editors of the WFPHA Casebook on Advocacy for Public Health.
Dr. Dragoslav Popovic
Europe
Serbian Public Health Association
Dr. Dragoslav Popovic is the Serbian Public Health Association President and a WFPHA International Immunization Task Force member. His recent projects include Faculty at the World Bank Flagship Course on Universal Health Coverage (2019); Evaluating Targeted Country Assistance, GAVI Alliance (2018); Moderating Global Vaccine Procurement Practitioners Forum, Copenhagen (2018); Introduction of ARV in SEE (2021); Setting joint UN mechanism for USD 115 million procurement of vaccines and essential drugs in Ukraine (2017); Coordinating Health Sector Post-Disaster Risk Assessment and Recovery Plans after floods in Countries in Balkans (2014).
Dr. Lwando Maki
Young Professionals
South Africa Public Health Association
Dr. Lwando Maki hails from rural Eastern Cape, South Africa. He earned his Bachelor’s in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Cape Town (UCT). He completed specialist training in Public Health Medicine at the College of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA) and a Master of Medicine at the University of Pretoria. He pursued a second specialty in Internal Medicine at the CMSA and another Master of Medicine at UCT. Dr. Maki specializes in Global Health, Climate Change, and Noncommunicable Diseases, focusing on Cardiovascular Disease.
Basant Adhikari
South-East Asia
Nepal Public Health Association
Basant Adhikari has been the Past President of the Nepal Public Health Association since 2025. He is a public health professional at the Ministry of Health, serving as a Senior Public Health Administrator, managing public health interventions at the provincial level. He has completed a Master of Public Health and a Master of Public Administration. He currently represents the South-East Asia region on the WFPHA Governing Council.