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Book Launch & Conversation on Health Equity in Southeast Asia
June 6 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Event Background
On 6 June 2025 on 5-7pm, SEA Junction in partnership with The Equity Initiative Fellowship will discuss the recently published book Why People Get Sick – and Some More Than Others” by three Equity Fellows, also known as the Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity in Southeast Asia (AFHESEA), Clive Tan, Putri Widi Saraswati, and Eaint Thiri Thu.
This compelling collection of lived experiences from across Southeast Asia invites readers to rethink what truly shapes our health. So much of health is rooted in what is collectively known as social determinants of health. It means the conditions and environment in which people are born, grow, live, interact, work and age. People with disadvantaged backgrounds often face barriers to good health. This means they get sick more easily, and it is harder for them to recover. The book illustrates how health inequities are shaped by a multitude of intersecting factors and how identity, income, injustice, and social conditions impact health outcomes.
The event is meant to open a space for dialogue on health equity in Southeast Asia and beyond through an interactive conversation with independent public health scholar Piya Hanvoravongchai, the book’s authors, and among participants. Stories about social justice and collective well-being will be shared to exchange, gain deeper understanding of the issues at stake, and help spark the momentum needed to address systemic inequities. The dialogue will be moderated by Suebpong Charoenmechaikul.
The event will be on site and streamed live on SEA-Junction Facebook Page.
Speakers and Moderator
Piya Hanvoravongchai is an independent scholar specializing in health policy and system research and health equity in Thailand and Southeast Asia. He currently consults for the CMB Foundation (Southeast Asia program) and WHO (Bangladesh).
Putri Widi Saraswati (they/them/she) is an Indonesian intersectional and decolonial feminist, global public health specialist, and medical doctor currently based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. They primarily work at the intersection of health and social justice issues. Putri is a fellow of The Equity Initiative Fellowship.
Clive Tan is a medical doctor, educator and a public health specialist. He is working in the area of health services and health systems, and is currently based in Singapore. He is a fellow of The Equity Initiative Fellowship.
Suebpong Charoenmechaikul helps people sleep, eat, move, & connect with others better, so that they don’t get sick. He is learning how to live to 100 with purpose, & sharing his “lived” experiences with others around the world from his base in Bangkok, Thailand. He is a fellow of The Equity Initiative Fellowship.
For more information, please email: info@seajunction.org or phone/wa: +66970024140
NB: The event is free, donations are welcome to support SEA Junction activities.
Organizer and Partners
SEA Junction established under the Thai non-profit organization Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies (ForSEA), aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions, from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 407-8 of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre or BACC, SEA Junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. For more information, see www.seajunction.org, join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/1693058870976440/ and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @seajunction.
The Equity Initiative Fellowship also known as the Atlantic Fellowship for Health Equity in Southeast Asia is to build a thriving and sustainable network of health equity advocates and champions to create a community for health equity in Southeast Asia and China. The program empowers young leaders to pursue and advocate social justice in health the southeast Asia region. It is designed to bring together a diverse group of professionals who demonstrate commitment, dedication, and enthusiasm for leading change for health equity.
The Rockefeller-endowed China Medical Board (CMB), an independent American foundation started in 1914, aims to advance health in China and neighboring Asian countries through strengthening medical, nursing and public health research and education. See further at www.chinamedicalboard.org
