The Pholela Lecture 2026: Advancing Equity, Inclusion and Sustainability Through Health Systems Leadership
1
College of Public Health Medicine, Colleges of Medicine South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa
2
Public Health, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa
3
Community Health, University of Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
4
Community Health, Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
5
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
6
Department of Health and Wellness, Western Cape Government, Cape Town, South Africa
7
Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Federal University of Bahia, Salvadore, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1742
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The Pholela Lectureship, established by the College of Public Health Medicine (CPHM) South Africa, honours the legacy of the Pholela Community Health Centre – internationally recognised for pioneering a population-based, analytically grounded approach to health system organisation. The Lectureship, convened annually at a major national or international public health event, serves as the CPHM’s flagship platform for highlighting contemporary leadership in health systems strengthening, aligned to CPHM’s mandate to advance public health medicine (PHM) and guide national discourse on system performance, accountability and equity.
METHODS:
The Pholela Lectureship is awarded through a rigorous selection process to a PHM specialist in recognition of their health systems work. The 2026 Lectureship was awarded to Prof Mary Kawonga for her contribution to health systems strengthening, leadership development, and equity-oriented reforms, with her work spanning senior academic leadership, PHM practice, and national policy advisory roles. The Lecture will adopt a narrative-analytic approach, synthesising evidence from research, policy and practice. The Lecture will be preceded by introductory remarks by the CPHM leadership to provide context to the Pholela Lectureship and will be followed by reflections by a leading international figure in public health.
RESULTS:
The Lecture will illustrate how the core principles associated with Pholela – population orientation, system integration, community-linked intelligence and context-sensitive policymaking – inform actionable approaches for improving system performance. Through case examples and an implementation science lens, strategies will be highlighted for enhancing equity-focused reforms, fostering accountable governance, improving data-informed decision-making and ensuring policy and programme implementation fidelity in health systems.
CONCLUSIONS:
By linking historically-grounded public health principles with contemporary health system leadership, this Pholela Lecture will stimulate dialogue on advancing resilient, equitable and responsive health systems. The session’s insights will contribute to global discourse on governance, implementation and sustainability, reinforcing CPHM’s commitment to PHM in a changing world.
The Pholela Lectureship, established by the College of Public Health Medicine (CPHM) South Africa, honours the legacy of the Pholela Community Health Centre – internationally recognised for pioneering a population-based, analytically grounded approach to health system organisation. The Lectureship, convened annually at a major national or international public health event, serves as the CPHM’s flagship platform for highlighting contemporary leadership in health systems strengthening, aligned to CPHM’s mandate to advance public health medicine (PHM) and guide national discourse on system performance, accountability and equity.
METHODS:
The Pholela Lectureship is awarded through a rigorous selection process to a PHM specialist in recognition of their health systems work. The 2026 Lectureship was awarded to Prof Mary Kawonga for her contribution to health systems strengthening, leadership development, and equity-oriented reforms, with her work spanning senior academic leadership, PHM practice, and national policy advisory roles. The Lecture will adopt a narrative-analytic approach, synthesising evidence from research, policy and practice. The Lecture will be preceded by introductory remarks by the CPHM leadership to provide context to the Pholela Lectureship and will be followed by reflections by a leading international figure in public health.
RESULTS:
The Lecture will illustrate how the core principles associated with Pholela – population orientation, system integration, community-linked intelligence and context-sensitive policymaking – inform actionable approaches for improving system performance. Through case examples and an implementation science lens, strategies will be highlighted for enhancing equity-focused reforms, fostering accountable governance, improving data-informed decision-making and ensuring policy and programme implementation fidelity in health systems.
CONCLUSIONS:
By linking historically-grounded public health principles with contemporary health system leadership, this Pholela Lecture will stimulate dialogue on advancing resilient, equitable and responsive health systems. The session’s insights will contribute to global discourse on governance, implementation and sustainability, reinforcing CPHM’s commitment to PHM in a changing world.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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