Jhan Irish Balunos

Irish specializes in health sector analysis, providing strategic insights and recommendations to BGA clients in the Philippines. She concurrently serves as a program and research manager at the Stratbase Institute, where she delivers research and technical support focused on health policy, offering expert guidance to industry stakeholders.

Irish has a robust background in evidence-based research and public health policy development. As an earlier research and policy fellow at the University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health, she collaborated closely with the Department of Health to formulate rapid public health guidelines for emergencies and develop the Omnibus Health Guidelines, which provide comprehensive guidance across various life stages. She also contributed to the creation of a guideline implementation tool manual, aligning national practice guidelines with clinical care to enhance evidence-based practices and quality improvement.

Earlier in her career, Irish worked with the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute. There, she conducted research on topics such as the Nutrition Act and the drivers of anemia reduction among women of reproductive age.

Irish earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from the University of the Philippines, where she is now pursuing a master’s degree in public health. She earned her registered nutritionist-dietitian license from the Professional Regulation Commission of the Philippines in 2019.