Reem Elsayed is an Egyptian pharmacist and public health professional dedicated to advancing health systems strengthening, health policy, women’s health, and climate resilience. She is currently pursuing an MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine at the University of Oxford, where her work focuses on the intersections of health equity, surveillance system preparedness in Africa, and environmental sustainability. She also holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa as a Mandela Rhodes Scholar where her research examined women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services, deepening her commitment to addressing the social and structural determinants of health.

Reem brings extensive experience from global, regional, and national health institutions. She previously served as a Fellow in the Universal Health Coverage and Health Systems Department at the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office. In this role, she led a scoping review on climate-resilient healthcare facilities across 22 countries in the region, generating evidence to guide policy and practice on adapting health systems to the challenges of climate change. Alongside this, she has been actively engaged in youth health leadership in Africa, serving as the Northern Africa representative for the Africa CDC’s Youth Advisory Team for Health, where she contributed to developing youth-led strategies and advancing meaningful youth engagement in public health across the continent.

Earlier in her career, Reem worked for four years within Egypt’s national health system, where she supported universal health coverage reforms and the delivery of healthcare services at the national level, with a strong emphasis on improving access to care for vulnerable groups such as women and older persons. This experience provided her with deep insights into the operational, policy, research, and equity challenges of implementing large-scale health reforms in resource-constrained settings.

Through her career, Reem aims to bridge research, policy, and practice to strengthen resilient and equitable health systems globally. She is particularly passionate about ensuring that health systems are people-centred and responsive to the health needs of women and marginalized communities.