Monash University Media Release

Shaping the future of health across Asia and the Pacific

The World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2024 in Melbourne, Australia from 22-24 April will bring together stakeholders from all relevant sectors of global health – under the theme ‘Shape the future of health across Asia and the Pacific’.

For the first time the World Health Summit Regional Meeting is being held in Australia, and the three-day meeting is hosted by Monash University, Melbourne. With more than 40 sessions and over 150 speakers from around the world, the goal will be to address strategies to improve global health and health inequities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Topics include:

• The health of Indigenous Peoples
• Achieving health equity for women and girls
• Accelerating towards sustainable and resilient health care services
• Clinician-led health system reform
• Putting lived and living experience at the centre of mental health care
• Priorities for education, training and a future-proof health workforce
• The impact of AI when ancient ways of knowing and new technology collide
• Protecting and improving health in an increasingly divided world
• Global preparedness for the next pandemic
• Leadership opportunities in SDGs and health
• Misinformationitis: the impact of tech on health (open public session)

Speakers include:

• Saia Ma’u Piukala, Regional Director for the Western Pacific, World Health Organization (WHO)
• Ged Kearney, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care
• Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Former Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
• Titilola Duro-Aina, Pacific Chief of Health, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu, Minister of Health and Medical Services, Fiji
• Papaarangi Reid, Deputy Dean Māori & Head of Department, Te Kupenga Hauora Māori, University of Auckland
• Michael Marmot, Director, UCL Institute of Health Equity
• Adeeba Kamarulzaman, President and Pro-Vice Chancellor, Monash University Malaysia
• Ajay Tandon, Lead Economist, World Bank
• Tay Choon Hong, CEO, Health Promotion Board, Singapore

Co-Presidents of the WHS Regional Meeting 2024, Professor Sophia Zoungas, Head of the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University said the calibre of people attending the Summit “gives us real hope that we will be able to address some of the health inequities that exists in the Asia-Pacific region so that we can move towards the SDG of universal health care,” she said.

Co-President, Professor Christina Mitchell, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, added that “the Summit Regional Meeting comes at a pivotal time – of serious geopolitical conflict, climate change, infectious disease outbreaks, ongoing health equity challenges facing Indigenous communities globally, and a diminishing healthcare workforce, all hugely important issues that will be tackled at the meeting,” she said.

Monash University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Sharon Pickering, said Monash was proud to be convening the Summit as an important opportunity to make progress on addressing the world’s public health challenges.

“We are delighted to host the 2024 World Health Summit Regional Meeting that will bring together world leaders in public health to strengthen international collaboration on addressing our urgent global health challenges,” Professor Pickering said.

“As a top-50 global university and a leader in medical and health research, Monash is committed to working in collaboration with our partners for community benefit, and I’m hopeful the Summit will lead to strong commitments towards improving health access and equity in the Asia-Pacific region. I wish all our expert speakers and attendees safe travels and a warm welcome to Melbourne.”

Monash is a founding member and key contributor to the M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies that is the academic foundation of the World Health Summit.

All information on speakers, program, participation is available here: www.whsmelbourne2024.com

If you are unable to join in person: All sessions will be available as recordings afterwards here.