Harsha Somaroo is a Public Health Medicine Specialist, committed to protecting and improving health, healthcare, and health equity; and the immediate past president of PHASA (2021-2023). She led the team that won the bid to co-host the 2026 World Congress on Public Health and is the PHASA chairperson for the Congress Management Committee.

She has been involved with various aspects of clinical care and public health systems’ management; and believes that improvements both within and outside the health system are essential to improve the quality of healthcare and health equity. Within the healthcare sector, she aims to influence changes related to enhancing clinical and corporate governance, and overall health systems strengthening. Outside the health care system, she wants to work to promote actions to address the social determinants of health and to foster heightened social conscientisation among all South Africans.

She views PHASA as a multi-disciplinary organisation of individuals who are all ultimately advocating for greater health equity in South Africa. She is keen to support the association amplify its collective voice in order to advocate for improved healthcare and health equity, to improve networking between like-minded organisations, to enhance knowledge sharing on significant issues, and to capacitate the diverse membership to harness individual strengths and further develop areas of public health interest.