Pedja Stojicic Story of Self (Video)
Brief about Pedja Stojicic
Pedja Stojicic is a physician, public health leader, and movement strategist with two decades of experience at the intersection of community organizing and health equity. As the Executive Director of People Power Health and an Adjunct Lecturer at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, he works to bridge the gap between healthcare systems and grassroots movements. His career spans clinical medicine, health advocacy, political organizing, and leadership development, with a consistent focus on empowering communities to lead transformational change in health systems.
Background and Education
Early Life and Medical Training
Born and raised in Serbia during a period of political instability and health system collapse, Pedja’s early exposure to injustice and healthcare disparity shaped his lifelong commitment to health equity. He studied medicine at the University of Belgrade, where he developed an interest in the broader social and political determinants of health.
His work in Serbia’s underserved communities during and after the Yugoslav wars exposed him to structural failures in healthcare access, leading him to shift from clinical medicine to systems-level reform and grassroots leadership.
Public Health Education and Leadership Development
To deepen his impact, Pedja pursued graduate education at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he focused on health policy, management, and organizational leadership. His academic work intersected public health with narrative organizing and social movements, laying the foundation for his future projects.
Pedja also trained in community organizing under Marshall Ganz, becoming a practitioner and later a mentor in the fields of narrative, public action, and constituency building.
Professional Experience
Executive Director, People Power Health
As Executive Director of People Power Health, Pedja leads a nonprofit dedicated to building leadership capacity among healthcare professionals through organizing practices. The organization trains doctors, nurses, public health experts, and advocates in the skills of narrative, relationship building, and strategic campaigns, empowering them to take action on issues like structural racism, access to care, and climate justice.
Under his leadership, People Power Health has:
- Trained over 7,000 health professionals globally
- Partnered with medical schools, hospitals, and unions
- Developed a community of practice across 30 countries
His approach focuses not only on advocacy but also on building a sustained network of health professionals who see themselves as agents of structural change.
Adjunct Lecturer, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Pedja serves as an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Harvard Chan School, where he teaches courses on community organizing in public health. His seminars help students explore how movements and organizing practices can transform policy, institutions, and public attitudes in health systems.
He mentors students working on campaigns related to climate health, maternal care equity, and universal access to health services, emphasizing hands-on learning through campaign design and leadership immersion.
Leadership Roles in Serbia and International Health Organizations
Prior to his U.S.-based work, Pedja was a prominent organizer and public health leader in Serbia. He co-founded organizations focused on HIV/AIDS awareness, youth engagement, and civil society development, often working in hostile political environments where healthcare was politicized or underfunded.
His work led to collaboration with international bodies such as the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, and Global Fund, where he advised on community-based interventions and national reform policies.
Areas of Expertise
Community Organizing and Health Advocacy
Pedja is a global thought leader in integrating community organizing into public health practice. His framework, grounded in real-world campaign experience, focuses on:
- Public narrative to shift public discourse
- Relational leadership to build sustainable coalitions
- Action-oriented strategy to win concrete change
His clients and partners include medical students, advocacy networks, and entire healthcare systems aiming to center community voice in decision-making.
Leadership Development and System Change
Pedja’s core strength lies in his ability to develop leaders who lead others. He designs programs that:
- Equip professionals with tools to mobilize peer networks
- Build systems that distribute leadership across institutions
- Train organizations to embed organizing principles into operations
He consults with hospitals, universities, and ministries of health to transform top-down models into people-powered ecosystems.
Achievements and Recognition
Contributions to HIV/AIDS Awareness and Public Health Reform
In the early 2000s, Pedja led several groundbreaking efforts to address the HIV epidemic in Southeast Europe. His work included:
- Launching Serbia’s first youth-targeted HIV prevention campaigns
- Advocating for needle exchange and harm reduction policies
- Working with regional coalitions to decriminalize HIV status and improve patient care
These efforts positioned him as a regional leader in health and rights-based advocacy.
Development of Health Leadership Programs
Pedja has helped design leadership programs at:
- Harvard Medical School
- Boston Children’s Hospital
- University of California San Francisco (UCSF)
- Doctors for America
His programs have been adopted by grassroots organizers as well as institutional leaders, enabling cross-sector mobilization around shared health justice goals.
Values and Vision
Commitment to Equitable Health and Community Empowerment
Pedja believes that healthcare is political and that marginalized communities must play a central role in transforming the systems that affect their well-being. His work constantly centers:
- Equity over charity
- Solidarity over saviorism
- Power-building over temporary aid
He views public health not only as a science but as a vehicle for collective liberation, especially in communities historically excluded from decision-making.
Vision for Integrating Social Movements into Healthcare
Looking ahead, Pedja’s vision includes:
- Embedding organizing skills into medical and public health curricula
- Building health justice cohorts within hospital systems
- Scaling People Power Health’s model internationally, with regional hubs of organizing leadership in Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe
His ultimate goal is to redefine health leadership as a practice of movement-building, transforming the future of public health into one where communities, not institutions, hold the power.
Online Presence
Professional Profiles and Publications
Pedja’s work is widely published and cited across platforms such as:
- Harvard Public Health Review
- Health Affairs Blog
- The Lancet (in commentary partnerships)
- His LinkedIn profile and People Power Health website regularly feature toolkits, campaign stories, and training resources.
He continues to share his research and insights through global speaking engagements, panels, and media features on health, democracy, and organizing.