Professor Jane Fisher at Monash Global Leaders’ Summit Asia Pacific

Penang, Malaysia | 12–14 April 2026

Vice-Chancellor Professor Sharon Pickering and Professor Dato’ Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, President and Pro Vice-Chancellor Monash Malaysia convened the recent inaugural Monash Global Leaders’ Summit Asia Pacific in Penang.

The Summit brought together alumni across business, economics, technology, social justice, international affairs, public policy, and health, education and sustainable development sectors. Discussions focused on the Asia Pacific’s growing global significance, with ASEAN being a major coordinating organisation, regional cooperation and influence being redefined, and Monash as a strategic leader and partner.

Professor Jane Fisher was invited to showcase Monash’s most significant, world‑changing research and give alumni a strong sense of how the University is shaping the region and the world. She spoke about her partnership with government, non-government, international philanthropic and academic sectors formed over the past two decades in Vietnam. The research has built evidence about women’s health and early childhood development in resource-constrained rural areas and informed their novel Learning Clubs Program. Implemented by community-based workers, the Program led to higher cognitive development in two-year olds and is now being taken to scale in six provinces and being integrated into national policies for early childhood development.

Her presentation demonstrated how long-term research partnerships such as this one, which is hosted at Monash, can reduce social and health inequalities and contribute to national development including in ASEAN member states.