The 8th Can Ruti Women for Equity in Science Symposium addresses health equity challenges in the new world order
The 8th Can Ruti Women for Equity in Science Symposium was held this morning at IGTP as part of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, observed annually on 11 February.
This year's symposium brought together professionals from research, healthcare and engineering to reflect on the challenges of sustaining health equity in a changing global context. Under the title Sustaining Health Equity in the New World Order, the event examined how changes in research funding, public policies and global health priorities impact equity, including from a gender perspective.
Organised by the Can Ruti Women for Equity (W4E) working group, the event was held in a hybrid format and once again consolidated this interdisciplinary forum for debate at the Campus Can Ruti.
Funding, health policies and equity
The symposium opened with an institutional welcome by Julia García-Prado, scientific director of IGTP, who highlighted the importance of maintaining equity as a cross-cutting principle in research and healthcare, particularly in a transforming global landscape.
The keynote lecture was delivered by Barbara Evans, professor of Public Health Engineering at the University of Leeds, who analysed recent changes in global health research funding. Beyond directly affecting populations with fewer resources and healthcare services, she noted that these changes may trigger a domino effect with broader consequences for global health.
This was followed by a personal perspective from Christian Brander, senior researcher at IrsiCaixa, on the relationship between HIV research and public health policies, highlighting how structural decisions shape equity in both knowledge generation and its clinical application.
Data and diagnosis on equity at Campus Can Ruti
As part of the symposium, Sara Cabrero and Cris Peligero presented data from the W4E Observatory 2025, providing an updated diagnosis of the state of gender equity across the Campus Can Ruti research institutes and identifying both progress made and areas for improvement.
Future challenges in global health
The second part of the programme focused on future challenges in ensuring health equity and research funding. José Domínguez Benítez, Head of the Innovation in Respiratory Infections and Tuberculosis Group, addressed the funding gap in tuberculosis and its consequences for research and healthcare delivery.
Next, Silvia Roure Díez, Clinical Director of Infectious Diseases at Fundació Lluita, highlighted schistosomiasis as an emerging infection and the need for a coordinated response from a global and equitable perspective.
Finally, Spurthi Kolipaka, from the University of Leeds, offered insights into how public policies can have gender implications, drawing on examples from India.
The symposium concluded with a roundtable discussion addressing the main challenges in sustaining health equity in the new world order. The session featured Barbara Evans, Christian Brander, José Domínguez Benítez, Silvia Roure Díez and Spurthi Kolipaka, and was moderated by members of the W4E group.
Tribute and commitment to equity
The event closed with a tribute to Jane Goodall, in recognition of her scientific career and her commitment to science, conservation and social impact, reinforcing the symposium's overarching message on the need to uphold equity as a structural principle in research and health.
In the closing remarks, Julia García-Prado stressed the importance of continuing to consolidate reflective spaces such as this symposium: "There is growing evidence that an inclusive gender perspective improves the quality of research and healthcare. At a global level, failing to promote inclusive health research for all populations will significantly increase risks for everyone. We must continue working to ensure this perspective becomes truly cross-cutting across all scientific fields".
The Can Ruti Women for Equity in Science Symposium continues to strengthen its position as a reference forum for promoting fairer, more inclusive research and healthcare practices aligned with today's global challenges.