We are proud to officially welcome our new Global Social Prescribing Alliance (GSPA) Champions — an extraordinary group of leaders, practitioners, researchers, and community builders who are helping transform health and wellbeing across the world.
Social prescribing is paving the way for a more holistic, person-centred approach to health — connecting individuals to community-based support that nurtures wellbeing beyond traditional clinical care. Our champions are at the heart of this transformation.
Together, they represent the growing momentum behind a global movement to reimagine healthcare through prevention, personalised care, and community connection.
🌱 A Growing Global Movement
In 2020, Gareth Presch and James Sanderson came together around a shared opportunity — to harness collective global action to create new ways of delivering good health and wellbeing.
Their vision was to build a worldwide community committed to:
- Social Prescribing
- Personalised Care
- Health & Wellbeing Innovation The Alliance launched in February 2021, supported by the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and has since brought together partners from over 30 countries.
Through global events, roundtables, webinars, site visits, and training programmes, the Alliance continues to support the development and scaling of social prescribing worldwide.
🌍 Meet Our Global Champions
Our champions span five core leadership pillars:
Implementation Champions
Practical experience, outreach, and coordination
Sean (War On Epilepsy, UK) Natalie Kelly (Age UK Hertfordshire, UK) Syed Tawassal Raza (University of Faisalabad, Pakistan) Dr. Suren Kumar (HOW Network, India) Camila Ronderos (Fundación Keralty, Colombia/US) Zeina Moukarzel (Independent, Lebanon) Sophina McDaniel (Stanford Health Care, USA) Erwin Rebhandl (Praevenire, Austria) Elaine Sarah Comerford (Chronic Health Advocate, Ireland)
Workforce Development
Team building, coordination, and training
Lucy Moore (Hinckley and Bosworth Medical Alliance, UK) Jo Swift (Newcastle GP Services, UK) Dina Yousif (Islington GP Federation, UK) Natalie Hicks (University of Lancashire, UK) Leonor Santos (Portugal)
International Community of Practice
Networking and global coordination
Cristina Mascarenhas Gonçalves (ULS Algarve, Portugal) Leung Chun Hong (Community CareAge Foundation, Hong Kong) Aayisha A. (Pharm D, India) Nousheen Basit (GlaxoSmithKline, Poland) Muhammad Alanjiro (Yobe State University, Nigeria) Tolu Fanibuyan (Nigeria) Ushma Issar (Rypple, Netherlands)
Policy, Research & Academia
Strategic oversight, guidance, and knowledge leadership
Dr. Raju Kanukula (University of Sydney, Australia) Prof Jill Litt (ISGlobal, Spain) Fanuel Alemayehu Tefera (Eka Kotebe General Hospital, Ethiopia) Dr. Denny Mathew John (Kerala Medical College, India) Allison Colbert (Independent, Germany) Kelly Reynolds (University of Lancashire, UK) Laura Perdiguero Muñoz (IDIBELL-ICO, Spain) Rob Dean (University of Lincoln, UK)
Baraka Muvuka, PhD, MPH, MCHES (Indiana University School of Medicine - USA)
Sam Pywell (University of Lancashire, UK) Dr Hanan Ahmed (Afrilabs, Egypt)
💬 A Message from Our Founder
“Social prescribing is one of the most powerful vehicles we have to transform health and wellbeing globally — shifting the focus from illness to prevention, from systems to communities, and from isolation to connection. Our champions are the catalysts of this change. Their leadership, passion, and collaboration will help us build a healthier, more connected world where communities are empowered to thrive.” — Gareth Presch, Founder – Global Social Prescribing Alliance
🚀 Building Momentum Worldwide
We are now accelerating global momentum and expanding our champion network across key areas:
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Implementation
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Workforce Development
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International Community of Practice
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Research & Academia
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Policy Through this network, GSPA provides:
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Global meetings, roundtables, and webinars
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Advisory support on establishing social prescribing
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Training via the Global Social Prescribing Playbook
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International study visits and teach-ins
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Consultancy for health system innovation
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Investment and partnership opportunities
🌟 Join the Movement
We are building a global community of leaders committed to transforming healthcare through collaboration, innovation, and community connection.
Let’s create a healthier, more connected world together.
#SocialPrescribing #HealthInnovation #CommunityCare #GSPAlliance