A Conversation with Peter Navario, CEO of HealthRight International: Strengthening Global Health Systems Through Community-Led Care

Global health systems are under pressure. Funding models are shifting. NGOs are closing. Communities are feeling the consequences.

On this episode of The Charity Charge Show, host Grayson Harris sits down with Peter Navario, CEO of HealthRight International and professor of health economics at New York University, to discuss what it takes to deliver sustainable healthcare solutions for marginalized communities, both globally and here in the United States.

From community-based mental health programs to new funding platforms designed to rethink global health financing, this episode explores what it means to build systems that last.

Guest: Peter Navario
Title: CEO, HealthRight International | Professor of Health Economics, NYU
Topics Covered:

• The mission and history of HealthRight International
• The “triangle” model: community, community health workers, and primary care systems
• Addressing mental health through peer-led, evidence-based interventions
• Why traditional one-on-one therapy is not scalable
• The impact of foreign aid cuts on global health organizations
• How HealthRight is diversifying revenue and launching a direct investment platform
• The need for a better dialogue between funders and implementers

About Peter Navario

Peter Navario serves as CEO of HealthRight International and is a professor of health economics at NYU.

With decades of experience in global health and development, he brings both academic insight and field-based leadership to his role. Under his leadership, HealthRight has focused on strengthening community-based care models and building more sustainable funding mechanisms for long-term health system resilience.