Written by Colin McEvoy | January 21, 2025 | SHARE
The Lehigh University PhD student, who spoke during International Education Week, is advancing global health equity through her nonprofit work, innovation, and advocacy for women’s sexual and reproductive health
Sandra Boakye has more than a decade of experience as a public health professional focusing on sexual and reproductive health for women and girls. She founded a nonprofit addressing menstrual equity and period poverty in her home country of Ghana, with plans to expand globally and establish a presence in the United States and beyond.
Boakye is currently continuing her education at Lehigh University, pursuing her PhD in Population Health at Lehigh’s College of Health. With a continued focus on health inequities and sexual and reproductive health in underserved and marginalized communities, Boakye plans to continue her advocacy work and help inform global public health policies.
“I think that it is important, especially as women, for us to empower ourselves academically and to be able to contribute to the communities, to be able to make the meaningful impact that we want,” she said. “I want to encourage young leaders everywhere to invest in building themselves up while they're doing the work.”
An advocate for women’s health
Boakye delivered a global health speech during International Education Week (IEW) at Lehigh in November. She discussed how to bridge the health care gap in Ghana and improve health care access in rural areas, particularly through the use of drone technology.
During her remarks and through videos she presented, Boakye discussed the ability of unmanned aerial drones to deliver medical supplies quickly and efficiently, overcoming traditional logistics challenges in rural countries and enabling the timely delivery of vaccines and essential medical supplies to remote communities.
“Technology like this demonstrates that even the most remote areas can access life-saving care, and this is the time to invest in such innovations,” she said.
Boakye has a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Ghana, specializing in population, family, and reproductive health. She founded her nonprofit, InspireHer, after having worked extensively with young girls under the Ghana Adolescent Reproductive Health Project (GHARH), sponsored by the UK government in the former Brong Ahafo region.
She remains the Executive Director of InspireHer and provides strategic oversight while studying in the United States. She also collaborates with Lehigh’s Center for Gender Equity, as well as the Allentown Period Poverty Committee, to discuss and advocate for menstrual health in the local Lehigh Valley area.
Finding her way to Lehigh
Boakye first became familiar with Lehigh University after participating in the Mandela Washington Fellowship program in 2023. Lehigh and the Iacocca Institute have hosted the MWF nearly every year since 2017, providing Africa’s brightest emerging business and community leaders with leadership training, networking, professional development opportunities, and exciting events and site visits.
The program introduced Boakye to the “servant leadership” concept. The leadership style focuses on serving others and their growth, which eventually contributes to the success of the organization and communities, which Boakye found transformative and inspiring. Inspired by her positive experience at Lehigh during the Fellowship, she was admitted to the College of Health’s PhD program in 2024.
The PhD in Population Health degree prepares doctoral students to investigate, integrate and address health determinants using data science and develop novel and effective avenues for disease diagnosis and prevention, health promotion and intervention.
During her IEW remarks, Boakye said that 800 women globally die each day due to preventable causes during childbirth, according to the World Health Organization. More than 14 million women suffer from postpartum hemorrhaging annually, with 70,000 dying as a result. About 287,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2020.
Life-saving drone technology
Drone technology can revolutionize blood delivery in places like Ghana, cutting waiting times from hours to minutes, which is essential for saving lives in childbirth and trauma cases, Boakye said. About 2 million COVID-19 vaccines were distributed via drones to remote and hard-to-reach areas in the country during the pandemic, accounting for 10% of the country’s vaccine delivery.
She also acknowledged myriad challenges associated with drone technology, including high costs, technology challenges, and complex laws and policies regarding airspace control, which differ from place to place. Nevertheless, she feels the technology can prime health equity, advocacy and research, capacity building, and community engagement.
Boakye wants to expand InspireHer in the United States in the future, and intends to work with organizations like the United Nations to advocate for gender-friendly policies and address global health inequities. She hopes her education and experiences at Lehigh will help her impact local and international communities as a “global servant leader.”
“That's how I see myself, working at a global level while also impacting my communities in Africa and anywhere that I find myself,” she said. “Sexual and reproductive health for women is a global issue, and so I want to commit my career to addressing that.”