Anita Parbhoo

Anita Parbhoo Anita is a medical doctor and healthcare executive with over 15 years’ leadership experience in tertiary academic and community healthcare. Currently Chief Executive Officer of the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and Chief Director in the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness.

Using the experiences from her own leadership development journey, she hopes to inspire others working in global health. While being especially interested in child health, she is passionate about organisational culture, staff morale and finding collaborative ways of working to promote synergy in the workplace while ensuring the highest quality patient care. She has been recognised for advancing organisational culture, building resilient teams, and driving innovation in health systems to improve child health outcomes.

In July 2024 she was the recipient of the 2024 Jakes Gerwel Award in Public Health – University of the Western Cape for which she received a citation: Recognised for outstanding leadership in children’s health and well-being within its broader societal context, embodying Prof Jakes Gerwel’s commitment to advancing health in Africa. Honoured for continuous focus on mentoring, learning, and innovative approaches to expand access to care.

As part of her ongoing commitment to leadership development, Anita actively serves as a mentor in both formal and informal contexts. Since the inception of the Women in Global Health Leadership Fellowship for African Women in 2023, she has been a dedicated mentor in the programme, which is a collaborative initiative between the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Moi University’s School of Public Health in Kenya, and the University of Cape Town’s School of Public Health in South Africa. In addition, she contributes to the University of Cape Town’s Oliver Tambo Fellowship Programme (Postgraduate Diploma in Health Leadership) as a mentor, supporting the growth of emerging leaders in the health sector.

Anita is a wife, mother of two, a flamenco dancer and holds a blue belt in karate.