From Inspiration to Action

Every Journey Begins Somewhere

Every meaningful movement begins with an idea. Some begin in classrooms. Others begin in laboratories, communities, or moments of profound reflection.

Global Health Explorers began with a simple but ambitious belief: that investing in children and young people is one of the most powerful ways to build a healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable world.

Behind this vision are lives dedicated to learning, service, compassion, and leadership. Their example continues to inspire a new generation to explore, understand, and improve the health of their communities and the wider world.

What is Global Health Explorers?

Global Health Explorers (GHE) is an educational platform dedicated to developing the next generation of global health leaders.

Through evidence-informed learning, data literacy, innovation, leadership development, and meaningful community engagement, GHE empowers children and young people to understand global health challenges, think critically, collaborate responsibly, and take action to improve the health of their communities and the wider world.

Who Inspired GHE?

Dr. Mohammad Hossein Asadi-Lari and Zeynab Asadi-Lari

Dr. Mohammad Hossein Asadi-Lari (MD/PhD Candidate, University of Toronto) and his sister, Zeynab Asadi-Lari (MD Candidate, University of Toronto), were remarkable young Canadian student leaders whose lives were tragically cut short in the intentional downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 .

Their passion for learning, commitment to scientific excellence, dedication to serving others, and compassionate leadership continue to inspire Global Health Explorers (GHE) and its mission to empower the next generation to build healthier communities and a healthier world.

Values That Continue Their Legacy

🎓 Learning

Curiosity, scholarship, and lifelong learning are foundations for meaningful change.

🔬 Scientific Excellence

Evidence, innovation, and critical thinking guide responsible action.

🤝 Service

Knowledge has its greatest value when used to improve the lives of others.

🌍 Leadership

Leadership is measured through integrity, collaboration, and commitment to humanity.

Carrying Forward a Legacy

Global Health Explorers was established to carry forward these enduring values—not by looking only to the past, but by investing in the future.

Inspired by the lives of Mohammad and Zeynab, and by countless young people who aspire to make a positive difference, GHE seeks to create opportunities for children and adolescents to learn, explore, innovate, and lead.

Their legacy is not defined solely by what they achieved, but by the opportunities they continue to create for others.

Every learner who discovers a passion for improving health, every young leader who chooses service over indifference, and every community strengthened through education becomes part of that continuing legacy.

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Remarkable Lives

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Enduring Values

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Empowered Young Minds

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A Healthier World

Turning Inspiration into Action

The idea for Global Health Explorers emerged from a shared commitment to education, public health, and service.

Inspired by her siblings' dedication to learning and leadership, Zoha Asadi-Lari envisioned a platform that would encourage young people to explore global health, embrace scientific curiosity, and develop the knowledge and leadership needed to improve the world around them.

What began as a personal vision has grown into a collaborative educational initiative that seeks to empower future generations through learning, innovation, and action.

Building on a Shared Vision

The vision behind Global Health Explorers is also rooted in a broader commitment to strengthening global health education and youth leadership.

In 2022, an international group of distinguished experts who had served in leadership roles within organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA, leading universities such as the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto, and other global health institutions came together to help shape an ambitious vision for advancing global health education and youth leadership through the proposed Mohammad and Zeynab Asadi-Lari Centre for Health Sciences under the Health Education Foundation of Canada (HEFC).

Although that initiative did not continue at that time, the vision remained alive.

Global Health Explorers builds upon this shared aspiration by bringing together experience in public health, education, research, innovation, and international collaboration to create a dynamic platform for future generations.

As GHE grows, these distinguished colleagues and global health leaders will continue to contribute their expertise and guidance toward advancing the educational mission of the platform.

Looking Ahead

Global Health Explorers is only beginning.

As new educational programmes, partnerships, technologies, research initiatives, and leadership opportunities emerge, GHE will continue to evolve as a learning organization guided by curiosity, evidence, innovation, collaboration, continuous improvement, and sustainability.

The journey that inspired GHE now belongs to every learner who chooses to explore, to serve, and to lead.

Our Commitment

The future of global health depends not only on stronger health systems, but also on empowered children and young people.

By investing in the next generation and guided by the principles of its Constitution, Global Health Explorers (GHE) affirms its enduring commitment to inspiring and equipping present and future generations to build a healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable world.

The Story Behind Global Health Explorers