Dr. Meredith del Pilar-Labarda is a Professor and the Chairperson of the Department of Medicine at the University of the Philippines Manila School of Health Sciences, an innovative school known for its community-oriented stepladder health professions education curriculum. She is the lead for Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) Global Network Secretariat, a global network of passionate individuals, organizations and institutions advocating for social innovation in health and advancing research in social innovation launched by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) in 2014, as well as the lead for SIHI Philippines Hub. Both country hub and secretariat are hosted at the University of the Philippines Manila.

She is also a Doctor of Social Development and the school’s lead coordinator for health leadership and governance programs in partnership with government and non-government organizations in co-designing training modules, providing capacity building trainings and coaching for local chief executives, municipal health officers and other important stakeholders in the local health system and community. Her advocacies, work engagements and research interests include health and social development, social innovations, transformative health leadership and governance, community engagement, partnerships and empowerment, local health systems strengthening, disaster and resilience, adolescent sexual reproductive health, intersectional gender research, youth capacity building, health and nutrition, community mental health and wellbeing and transformative health professions education.