DTH-Lab announces strategic partnerships with IFMSA and IPSF to strengthen the future health workforce

News & insights
January 22, 2026
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Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab) today announced two strategic partnerships with the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) and the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF), formalizing and extending five years of close collaboration with both organizations.

“The announcement of DTH-Lab’s partnerships with IFMSA and IPSF marks the culmination of five years of successful collaboration and reflects our long-term commitment to co-creating solutions with young people,” said Aferdita Bytyqi, Executive Director of DTH-Lab. “Formalizing these partnerships will help strengthen our partners capacity, while creating space for intergenerational exchange and ensuring youth perspectives feedback into the Lab’s work.” 

The partnerships aim to strengthen the capacity of the current and future health workforce as digital citizens for health, while advancing intergenerational co-creation of equitable, inclusive and youth-centred digital health solutions at global and regional levels.

“This  synergistic partnership with DTH-Lab will continue to strengthen the role of pharmacy students and young professionals in shaping inclusive digital health systems and policies through education, training and  intergenerational collaboration to develop leaders, changemakers and advocates for health, and  for all,” said Julian Ryan Tan Jielong, Chairperson of External Relations, IPSF

Supporting empowered digital citizens for health

Through the partnerships, DTH-Lab will support IFMSA and IPSF members through learning activities that promote digital, health and civic literacy, with a particular focus on incorporating the needs of young health professionals into DTH-Lab’s forthcoming framework for Digitally-Enabled Health Systems.

The partnerships will focus on:

  • Strengthening the capacity of the current and future health workforce as digital citizens for health

  • Shaping digital health policy through health systems strengthening and health promotion

  • Co-creating equitable and inclusive digital health solutions

  • Exchanging technical expertise to promote intergenerational collaboration

  • Testing approaches to youth-centred digital first health systems

This strategic partnership with DTH-Lab will support medical students worldwide to build the digital, civic and leadership skills needed to meaningfully engage in health policy and health systems transformation,” said Kana Halić Kordić, IFMSA VP for External Affairs.

From collaboration to partnership

Since 2020, DTH-Lab has worked closely with IFMSA and IPSF through intergenerational dialogues, capacity building initiatives and global and regional consultations. IFMSA and IPSF were co-authors of the Youth Statement and Call for Action, a youth-led call for stronger digital health literacy, skills and governance.

Between 2022 and 2025, DTH-Lab convened more than 600 young people from 80 countries, in collaboration with IFMSA and IPSF members to co-create a framework for digital first health systems that reflects the needs of young people and future healthcare providers. These consultations were embedded within existing regional and global convenings and were often led by Regional Youth Champions (RYCs) and partner members.

Under the new partnerships, DTH-Lab will continue collaboration at major global and regional convenings, including the World Health Assembly, IPSF World Congress and IFMSA General Assemblies, while strengthening regional engagement through RYCs.

The ongoing collaborations between DTH-Lab’s RYCs and IPSF and IFMSA’s networks has built trust, continuity and shared ownership. This sustained, intergenerational approach moves beyond tokenistic youth engagement, ensuring future partnership is grounded in meaningful co-creation and long-term impact.

Notes to editors

About Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab)

DTH-Lab is a global consortium of partners based in Switzerland, Nigeria and India. DTH-Lab drives inclusive and equitable digital transformations of health by generating research, driving policy innovation, shaping the public and political agenda through partnerships and youth co-creation. DTH-Lab has a proven track record in meaningfully working with young people as partners in designing their health futures. DTH-Lab has a cohort of Regional Youth Champions, a Research Fellowship program and a global #MyHealthFutures youth network.  

dthlab.org

Contact: Strategic Communications Consultant, DTH-Lab  corrie.fairweather-mills(at)dthlab.org

About the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA)

The International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA) is a non-partisan and non-profit organization recognized as one of the oldest and largest student-run organizations in the world. IFMSA was established in 1951 after the end of World War II to serve as a platform for unity, collaboration and peace among medical students. IFMSA has a broad representation of  133 member organizations from 123 countries across the continents of the world and works in close relation with several non-governmental organizations from all over the world. IFMSA has a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and has been recognised on a number of occasions as the voice of medical students by the World Health Organization. Core activities of IFMSA focus on several main areas, such as public health, human rights, medical education, sexual and reproductive health and rights  including HIV and AIDS. In addition to this, IFMSA together with national members organize worldwide professional and research exchanges for medical students.

https://ifmsa.org/

About the International Pharmaceutical Students Association (IPSF)

The International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation (IPSF) is a non-governmental, non-political and non-religious organization that represents pharmaceutical students, pharmacy students and recent graduates from all over the world. It was founded in 1949 and it is the oldest faculty-based student organization. IPSF represents over 600,000 individuals in more than 100 countries with more than 130 different representative pharmacy student member organizations.

https://www.ipsf.org/

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