Faihaa Dafalla

Dr. Faihaa Dafalla is a physician and public health specialist with extensive experience in health systems strengthening, policy development, and international health. She holds a Clinical Doctorate in Community Medicine (2024), a Master of Science in Public and Tropical Health (2014), and a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Management, Planning, and Policy (2015).

Until 2022, Dr. Dafalla served as the Director of Health Planning at the Federal Ministry of Health in Sudan, where she led the development of the National Health Sector Recovery and Reform Strategic Plan. In this role, she collaborated closely with international partners including UNICEF, the World Bank, the European Union, AICS, and UNDP. She was also a member of the national team that adapted the Joint Learning Network's (JLN) Universal Health Coverage Primary Health Care Self-Assessment Tool.

Her contributions span several national health initiatives, including the development of Sudan's health financing strategy, the strengthening of primary health care through the family health approach, Health in All Policies (HiAP), and the country's global health strategy. She brings over a decade of experience in project management and technical leadership in areas such as health reform, decentralization, policy analysis, partnership development, and community engagement. Her expertise also includes sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), with a strong focus on equity and post-conflict recovery.

Dr. Dafalla has worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) as a national consultant to implement a new model of care in Sudan, emphasizing PHC-oriented systems, universal health coverage (UHC), and health system resilience, particularly in conflict-affected regions such as Darfur. She also led the Project Management Unit at Sudan’s Federal Ministry of Health, managing a $33+ million GAVI Health System Strengthening portfolio over three years.

She is an alumna of the Advanced International Training Programme on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ITP13, 2018) at Lund University, Sweden. She was later selected to serve on the Steering Committee of the Global Academy for SRHR, where she was elected Chair for one term—the second chair since the Academy's inception.