Isabel C. Espinosa, ’25
From: Manila, Philippines
Degrees Held: MPH, BA, University of Florida
Email: iespinosa@hsph.harvard.edu
Isabel C. Espinosa is a Swedish-Chilean public health professional that has dedicated her career towards supporting national governments in both Latin America and the Caribbean and the Western Pacific Region to identify and reach communities living in vulnerable situations with health.
Most recently, Isabel served as a Technical Officer at the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific Region (WPRO). In this role, she worked closely with national governments to collect, analyse and use strategic data and information for gender-responsive and equity-based action. Some of the projects she led or supported included ensuring COVID-19 vaccines to persons experiencing homelessness in the Philippines; addressing stigma and discrimination among people affected by leprosy in Cambodia; engaging communities to strengthen traditional medicine in Kiribati; and building capacity for the delivery of essential services to survivors of gender-based violence in Papua New Guinea.
Through her profession, Isabel has gained critical experience in responding to the world’s most pressing health issues, during emergency settings and beyond. With the goal of maximizing her skills and knowledge as a technician, while preparing for high level leadership, she will return to the US with her three daughters to complete Harvard’s Doctor of Public Health program—a program that she believes offers all the necessary ingredients, from multidisciplinary courses, to renowned faculty with practical and leadership experience from the field, to individual coaches, and last but not least, opportunities to learn from and network with like-minded colleagues.
