In this episode of The Alliance Lift, Dr Rachidatou Compaoré – a public health physician and researcher from Burkina Faso whose work bridges health systems, policy, and reproductive health – speaks with Ms Idil Shekh Mohamed, Technical Officer at the Alliance.

As a Research Fellow at the Institute of Research in Health Sciences in Ouagadougou, Dr Compaoré’s studies have helped inform Burkina Faso’s national malaria control strategy and contributed to reforms in maternal and adolescent health across West Africa.

She reflects on her journey from clinical medicine to public health – shaped by the inequities she witnessed in hospital wards that could not be solved by medicine alone – and discusses her pioneering work on safe abortion and adolescent sexual and reproductive health. The conversation explores the challenges of conducting policy-relevant research in West Africa, the importance of empowering local researchers, and her vision for more equitable, decolonized global health partnerships.