Health Policy Watch
International/multilateralist, global health-focused
Background
Health Policy Watch was founded in 2018–2019 as a spin-off of Intellectual Property Watch, itself a Geneva-based non-profit that covered policy debates at international bodies. It was established within the Global Policy Reporting Association to fill a gap in open-access journalism on global health policy. Start-up funding came from the Swiss lottery charity Loterie Romande and the Camino Stiftung, with early backing also from the State of Geneva's international cooperation arm. Editor-in-chief Kerry Cullinan, a South African journalist who previously led the non-profit Health-e News for 14 years, has shaped its editorial direction. The outlet operates with correspondents across Geneva, Nairobi, New Delhi, Washington D.C., and New York, and focuses heavily on WHO governance, pandemic preparedness, and global health financing. Its donor base — which includes pharmaceutical industry bodies (IFPMA) alongside advocacy groups (NCD Alliance, AIDS Healthcare Foundation) — raises questions about potential conflicts of interest, though the outlet asserts full editorial independence. Coverage of the Trump administration's second term has been consistently critical: HPW published articles describing 2025 as 'a brutal year for global health,' characterized USAID cuts in stark terms, and framed U.S. withdrawal from international health commitments as a public health emergency. Its perspective aligns with the Geneva-based multilateral health community it principally covers.
Sources
- About Us - Health Policy Watch
- Health Policy Watch – Continuing The IP-Watch Tradition Of Vibrant Health Reporting - Intellectual Property Watch
- Health Policy Watch | Genève internationale
- 2025: A Brutal Year For Global Health - Health Policy Watch
- One Year Later: The Effect Of US 'Chainsaw' On Global Health - Health Policy Watch
- Trump, Musk Tell USAID: 'Time To Die' - Health Policy Watch
- US Withdrawal Of Global Health Funding Is 'Public Health Emergency Of International Concern' - Health Policy Watch
- Health Policy Watch - Muck Rack
Profile compiled 2026-07-31; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.