The McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer is excited to announce the appointment of our new Regional Manager for Asia, Ma-Anne Rosales-Sto. Domingo.
A public interest lawyer, Ma-Anne is based in Manila, The Philippines and has experience working on public health policy and development, particularly in the areas of NCD prevention, cardiovascular health and childhood obesity.
She is also a senior lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Law, teaching Legal Theory and Legal History, and has worked as a trial lawyer in criminal, family, labour and corporate law.
Ma-Anne said she was eager to work with the McCabe Centre as she believes the law should protect and enable people to lead healthy and meaningful lives.
“I hope to bring a comprehensive understanding of the regional landscape to the McCabe Centre so that we can take deliberate and strategic steps to usher progress in Asia,” she said.
“Tobacco control and prevention will always be a big challenge in the region. Although tobacco use has been seen to be declining in previous years across the region, the decline is insufficient to meet the target of a 30% decline by 2025, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Especially with the rise in the use of heated tobacco products and vapor products, reversals in progress previously achieved in the region are expected.
“The rising prevalence of elevated fasting blood sugar and obesity in the region is also alarming, with the highest rates in the world recorded in the region, according to the WHO. The slow, and in some areas, lack of, progress in food and nutrition policies in the region is quickly being taken advantage by big food and beverage industries. If the region does not take collective, aggressive and immediate action, we are predicting a sharp increase in the rates of overweight and obesity, and in turn, NCDs, in the next decade.
McCabe Centre Director Hayley Jones said she was delighted to welcome Ma-Anne to the team.
“Ma-Anne’s experience and knowledge of both law and the challenges facing the region will make an incredible contribution to our work in Asia,” Hayley said.
“More than ever, we need to harness the expertise of those working at the intersection of health and law, and build strong connections across the world. We’re looking forward to working with Ma-Anne on doing just that, and connecting her with our vibrant alumni and stakeholders across Asia.”
As Regional Manager for Asia, Ma-Anne will provide support for participants in our training programmes and workshops from WHO’s South-East Asian and Western Pacific Regions (other than Pacific countries). Ma-Anne will work with us to continue delivering training and workshop sessions on using law for noncommunicable disease prevention and control and adapting materials for use in Asia.
She will be active in delivering McCabe Centre work plan activities as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Law and Noncommunicable Disease and working with Country and Regional WHO offices. In the lead up to COP10 in November and beyond, she will also be assisting with queries from Asian parties on legal challenges to implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control for parties and other Knowledge Hub activities.
Ma-Anne will begin in the Regional Manager for Asia role from August 2023, and will join our existing Regional Managers, Daiana Buresova, Regional Manager for the Pacific, and Rachel Kitonyo-Devotsu, Regional Manager for Africa.