DTH-Lab is pleased to welcome a new cohort of Regional Youth Champions (RYCs). These ten exceptional individuals under 30 will be key partners in the work of DTH-Lab from November 2024 to October 2025.
The importance of RYCs
The overarching goal of the RYCs is to support young people at the local and regional level to become informed and enfranchised digital health citizens, co-creators of digital first health systems and innovative thought leaders with the skills and capacities to be key stakeholders in the governance of the digital transformation of health.
They do this by leading concerted efforts that capture and reflect the diverse views and experiences of young people within the activities and outputs of the DTH-Lab. RYCs develop partnerships at the regional and local level as well as bring the voice of youth from their regions to the work of DTH-Lab and the broader digital health ecosystem.
With well-established connections to youth networks at the regional and local level across a range of disciplines, the Champions elevate the scope and scale of the youth engagement work of DTH-Lab.
A competitive process
We received 2925 applications during the open call—a 342% increase from the previous year. This highlights the level of interest from young people in the digital transformation of health and the growing reach of DTH-Lab’s work, especially in areas with high youth populations. Through a rigorous shortlisting and interviewing process, ten individuals were selected representing all seven SDG regions.
The new cohort is drawn from multiple disciplinary backgrounds including medicine, environmental health, international relations, biology, dentistry, law, pharmacy, medical informatics, communications, engineering and public health.
The 2024-2025 Regional Youth Champions are:
Visit our RYC page to read more about the new cohort.
If your organization is interested in having an RYC join an upcoming discussion or contribute to a particular initiative please contact our Youth Engagement Coordinator at whitney.gray@dthlab.org.
© 2024 DTH-Lab. All Rights Reserved.
Tomiwa Akinsanya, Project Coordinator at the Digital Transformations for Health Lab, is passionate about using digital technologies and innovative behavioral sciences to enhance global youth health. Tomiwa has worked with respected organizations dedicated to advancing digital health and youth well-being globally. With almost a decade of experience, a B.Sc in Physiology and a Masters in Public Health, she applies specialized skills in research, project management, communication, stakeholder management, and advocacy to improve health systems for the benefit of all. Her core values are aligned with Innovation, Empathy, Creativity, Integirty, Team Work and Excellence.
