August 2026 FACE Update: Focus Area for Compassion and Ethics
Updates on our work to focus on the people behind global health statistics.
** Is it really August already?
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It's hard to believe we are over halfway through 2026! Let's pause and take a look at FACE's recent work.
Interested in connecting or collaborating? Please contact us (mailto:face@taskforce.org) !
** Saving Children, Staving Off Superbugs? Balancing the Future of Azithromycin MDA and Antimicrobial Stewardship (https://www.taskforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Executive-Summary-I...)
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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a rapidly growing global health crisis projected to cause 8 million deaths annually by 2050. A parallel body of evidence shows that mass drug administration (MDA) of azithromycin to children aged 1–59 months can reduce child mortality by 14–18% in high-burden settings. Both goals — preventing child deaths and protecting the long-term efficacy of antibiotics — are urgent. But they are also in tension.
MDA with azithromycin for child survival is currently scaling up across the REACH Network (Nigeria, Mali, and Niger), with substantial investment in AMR monitoring. Despite this, there is no consensus on how AMR signals should inform MDA decisions, nor shared processes capable of reaching harmonized decision-making.
Our recent study of stakeholder perspectives (https://www.taskforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MDA-AMR-Summary-Rep...) revealed that the risks and benefits are incommensurable, as they differ along temporal, distributional, and measurability dimensions. Stakeholders also weigh them differently, through deeply held professional and personal values, which means alignment cannot be achieved through scientific evidence alone.
That said, common ground for more harmonized decision-making regarding MDA and AMR already exists. What is missing is not agreement on values, but processes capable of translating shared commitments into aligned decisions.
https://www.taskforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Infographic_MDA_AMR...
We recommend inclusive, transparent, and structured deliberative processes to make explicit the values embedded in technical decisions, surface the full range of stakeholder concerns, and create the conditions for shared commitments that stakeholders can recognize as procedurally legitimate and acceptable.
The question of how azithromycin MDA should be governed in the face of AMR is not only a question for the REACH Network or MDA programs, broadly. It is a test case for how global health can navigate the incommensurable trade-offs that will increasingly define decision-making in the decades ahead.
Look for us at this year’s ASTMH meeting (https://www.astmh.org/) as we host a symposium on the topic!
** The Epidemiology of Compassion Gains Momentum
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Following the release of our March special issue, Towards an Epidemiology of Compassion (https://internationaljournalofwellbeing.org/index.php/ijow/issue/view/89) , we were deeply encouraged by the enthusiastic response from collaborators, researchers, and practitioners across disciplines.
Many reflected on the years of relationship-building, dialogue, and collective effort that made the issue possible, while others described the publication as helping to shape and legitimize an emerging field of inquiry. Several noted the significance of bringing together over 20 articles in one collection and praised the collaborative spirit that defined the process.
The special issue has already sparked interest in applying its insights to real-world programs, including grassroots initiatives focused on connection, wellbeing, and compassionate systems change. Others shared that the work expanded how they think about public health and epidemiology, while also making complex ideas accessible and actionable. One colleague described the issue as “a monumental contribution,” while another reflected, “I believe this work will have positive repercussions into the future, many of which we cannot imagine.”
This momentum is already being carried forward through our Human-Centered Design for Compassionate Organizations initiative, where partners are prototyping new approaches to cultivate compassion and wellbeing within their own workplace structures, cultures, and communities. Check out updates below on those inventive prototypes!
** Announcing a New WHO Short Course
on Primary Health Care
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FACE has had the privilege of collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO) on several compassion-related projects, including a module on compassion for an intensive WHO Academy course on Primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership (https://www.taskforce.org/primary-health-care/) .
WHO recently condensed this course (https://whoacademy.org/coursewares/course-v1:WHOA+0137_PHC_EN+2026) into a 1.5 - 3 hour, self-paced online introductory course on PHC, which provides an overview of key concepts, evidence, frameworks, and country experiences that underpin the PHC approach. The central role of compassion in PHC is included in section 5 of the new short course.
We encourage our readers who are interested in PHC to explore this early-release version of the short course (https://whoacademy.org/coursewares/course-v1:WHOA+0137_PHC_EN+2026) . The course covers why PHC matters, the core components and strategic levers of the PHC Operational Framework, and navigating PHC-oriented transformation.
Your feedback to WHO, particularly on the compassion-related content, will help shape future editions of the course.
** Compassion by Human-Centered Design
with IZUMI Foundation Grantee Partners
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With the generous support of the IZUMI Foundation (https://izumi.org/) and under expert guidance from Humaniterra (https://www.humaniterra.io/) , we have engaged two partner organizations in a human-centered design process to enhance organizational compassion – the second such engagement with organizations based in East Africa.
Now, these organizations are bringing their ideas to life through innovative, staff-centered prototypes for compassion interventions!
At Reach A Hand Africa (https://reachahandug.org/) , the newly launched “PEAfection” campaign celebrates and recognizes the everyday acts of compassion demonstrated by Peer Educators, helping cultivate a culture of empathy, appreciation, and connection across communities.
Meanwhile, CFK Africa (https://cfkafrica.org/) has introduced a “Staff Haven” — a calming wellness space designed to support emotional balance, rest, and mental wellbeing for staff navigating the pressures of demanding work environments.
These prototypes reflect how organizations can co-design practical, meaningful solutions that strengthen compassion not only in service delivery, but also within workplace culture itself. We are excited to continue learning alongside our partners as these ideas evolve and inspire broader organizational change.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-area-for-compassion-and-ethics/ LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-area-for-compassion-and-ethics/)
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** Focus Area for Compassion and Ethics (https://www.taskforce.org/face/)
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