APEC Healthy Women Prize Accepting Applications

The 2020 APEC Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Research Prize is now accepting applications for outstanding research work that strives to improve women’s health, economic well-being, and chart more inclusive growth.

Launched last year, the prize encourages applicants to promote sex-disaggregated data and gender-based research that will help policymakers and businesses determine and close the policy gaps impacting women’s health. The initiative is supported by leading science and technology company Merck.

“Policymakers know that healthy women are key to a healthy economy. What we need is more data that will identify which policies can help women most,” said Carolina Cuevas, Chile’s Undersecretary for Women and Gender Equality and Chair of APEC’s Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy.

“Sound data is crucial for objective analysis and sound policymaking. This prize takes an important step in spotlighting research backed by sex-disaggregated data, which can be used to better inform policymakers,” said YBhg. Dato’ Dr. Narimah Awin, Chair of Malaysia’s National Population and Family Development Board and 2020 APEC Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Research Prize Committee member.

In 2019, the inaugural prize was rewarded to Dr. Veronica Ramirez, an Assistant Professor at the University of Asia and the Pacific who focused her winning research on the health of Filipino women working overseas.

This year’s prize will accept submissions from individuals or teams (with one leader listed) from APEC economies and whose evidence-based research addresses at least one of the pillars outlined in the Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Policy Toolkit. A background in academia is not mandatory.

The prize winner will receive USD 20,000 and have the opportunity to present at the Women and the Economy Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Two runners-up will receive USD 5,000 each.

“We are thrilled to continue supporting the APEC Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Research Prize, as we received a number of strong applications for the inaugural prize in 2019. This prize presents a unique opportunity for economic and business leaders to consider data-backed policies that have the potential to make their organizations more inclusive toward women,” said Andre Musto, Regional Vice President – APAC, Merck Biopharma.

“APEC’s goal is to lift the well-being of millions of women, their families, and their communities. By developing research that leads to policy action, initiatives such as the APEC Healthy Women Healthy Economies Prize help bring us closer to that vision,” said Dr Rebecca Sta Maria, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat.

Since its inception in 2014, the APEC Healthy Women, Healthy Economies initiative has improved women’s health through public-private partnerships. The Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Policy Toolkit – the outcome of this cross-sector collaboration – outlines the issues, actions, and implementing elements for improving women’s health across five areas: workplace health and safety; health awareness and access; sexual and reproductive health; gender-based violence; and work/life Balance.

To submit your application form, click here. The deadline to submit applications is May 11, 2020.

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