With over 13 years of experience managing global health projects across leading institutions such as LSHTM and UCL, Chantelle Diagne brings a wealth of expertise in programme management, donor-funded research, and community engagement.
Now working as Section Manager for Neuroscience at Imperial College London, she reflects on her professional journey, the evolving challenges in global health funding, and the values that shape their approach to leadership and collaboration.
DobS: Tell us about your journey to this role: your background, experience, and interests? What has shaped your professional profile and approach to this work?
Chantelle Diagne: I’ve worked as a Project Manager in the global health sector for over 13 years. I started my journey at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) where I managed various multi-million-pound NTD (Neglected Tropical Diseases) and NCD (Noncommunicable diseases) projects funded by donors such as the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, USAID, the Medical Research Council and the Gates Foundation.
I left LSHTM to work at University College London (UCL), where I managed a programme funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). My role as Programme Manager was diverse, ranging from financial management to communications and governance. I worked closely with a consortium of overseas Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and local organisations. The programme included a community engagement and involvement component, where I gained a wealth of knowledge on how to engage with communities and work with them to co-design research.
I believe that the skills I gained over the years working for HEIs are transferable to my current role as Section Manager at Imperial.
With changing funding priorities in the UK – including increased defence spending and recent changes to the aid budget – how do you see this impacting global health research funding?
First of all, let me start by saying that I am no expert. I have, however, worked in the sector for a long time and seen a lot of changes, but nothing as significant as the aid budget cuts.
The global health programme I worked on at UCL was significantly affected by these changes. This started when Trump’s administration won the US national election in January 2025. By March 10th, the US Secretary of State announced 83% of programs at USAID (5,200 contracts) had been cancelled, and by May 2025, the FY2026 US budget revealed that nearly all global health activities funded by the US government would receive reduced funding or be eliminated (U.S. Foreign Aid Freeze & Dissolution of USAID: Timeline of Events | KFF).
Kier Starmer followed suit by announcing in the Spring 2025 budget that UK Aid funding would be reduced from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in 2027 in order to increase defence spending by 2.5% from 2025 to 2027 (Keir Starmer cuts aid to fund increase in defence spending – BBC News).
The programme I worked on at UCL was funded by the NIHR Global Health Research programme, which funds research in developing countries that are eligible to receive Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the UK International Development budget. The funding for this budget is derived from UK Aid, and therefore, this impacted the programme significantly.
What is the scale of these shifts, and do you see viable alternatives for funding these critical areas of research?
We were faced with new uncertainty as to the future of the programme. Extension requests (funded and non-funded) past the end of the 2025 financial year (ending on 31 March 2026) were met with a bewildering ambivalence and incertitude. This was not just for active projects, but NIHR announced that Global Health Research – Health Policy and Systems bands 1 to 3 funding opportunities were also paused (Global Health Research – Health Policy and Systems 2025 | NIHR). NIHR is one of many UK-based global health funders that have had to pause or cease funding opportunities due to the UK Aid cuts. My global health sector colleagues from other HEIs are all feeling the squeeze.
The situation has been bleak since early 2025, with a shift towards more funding applications to charitable organisations like The Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust, although competition is at an all-time high.
What has pleasantly surprised you in your new role so far?
I have noticed that Imperial is big on EDI. They take it very seriously, whereas I have noticed in other organisations it is more of a tick-box exercise. For example, the number of courses related to EDI that are part of new staff and current staff refresher training is commendable. The fact that EDI crosses over into so many other aspects of Imperial training, such as recruitment, is refreshing. It really helps staff think about their approaches and their own thought processes before they embark upon essential tasks at Imperial. I also think that Imperial is a very culturally diverse and accepting place to work. I have received a warm and friendly welcome and look forward to my future here at Imperial.
Finally, could you tell us a bit about yourself outside of work? What are your hobbies or interests that help give us a fuller picture of who you are?
I enjoy travelling and learning about new cultures.