Dr. Watabe joined the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in May 2023 as a health specialist, focusing on technical assistance and policy-related loan projects in health financing for universal health coverage (UHC), digital health innovations, and climate-health financing. He also manages partnerships with key ADB collaborators, including multi-stakeholder projects, impact investment, and co-financing. Before ADB, Dr. Watabe was a program manager for UHC2030, working with the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank Group, and OECD, where he handled advocacy, accountability, and knowledge management, including leading events such as the UN General Assembly High-level Meeting on UHC. He provided technical advice to the UHC Movement Political Advisory Panel and contributed to WHO’s Advance Health Financing courses. His career began as a medical doctor in Japan and public health physician in Vanuatu, followed by work as a health diplomat for Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Watabe holds a medical license (social medicine fellow/trainer), a PhD (Medicine) and Bachelor of Medicine, and an MSc in Health Policy, Planning, and Financing from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the London School of Economics and Political Science, along with an Executive Master in Change from INSEAD.