Associate Professor Helena Legido-Quigley was recently appointed Editor-in-Chief of Elsevier’s new Journal of Migration and Health, and was profiled in The Lancet last week, focusing on her work in health systems and passion for global health.
“This is incredibly exciting for me, as the health of migrants is my passion, and no other journal has its main focus on this important component of global health,” she said.
She commented on Singapore’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year: “It was striking how well Singapore was prepared, a legacy from the SARS era, with a dedicated infectious diseases hospital and six months of supplies of personal protective equipment and ventilators. The public health response was fast and efficient with good governance and effective health-risk communication.”
But our second wave among migrant workers has exposed wider inequalities. Highlighting the values at the heart of her global health vision, Assoc Prof Legido-Quigley said:
“We are not doing our job properly in global health if we do not address the circumstances of vulnerable populations, especially among the millions of people that make up the world’s migrant population.”
She is planning a special issue for the Journal later this year dedicated to migrant health and the impact of COVID-19.
Further ahead, she sees a new dialogue on global health governance as a priority, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“How we redefine global health architecture will have enormous implications for how health systems worldwide can be resilient to future public health emergencies”, said Assoc Prof Legido-Quigley.
Read the full feature on The Lancet: Helena Legido-Quigley: proponent of health systems strengthening