QF opens registeration for fully virtual WISH 2020 GLOBAL HEALTH summit
- 4 years ago
Under ‘One World Our Health’, Qatar Foundation’s global health initiative reveals five research forums in collaboration with Imperial College London.
Applications for the fifth edition of the biennial global health initiative World Innovation Summit for Health have opened. The event will take place in a unique virtual format from November 15-19, under the banner ‘One World Our Health’.
Due to COVID-19 and worldwide travel restrictions, World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) 2020 has been designed in an innovative digital and interactive format, extending the originally planned three-day summit to five days, and – for the first time – opening registration to all participants free of cost.
The new format will encourage participation from international delegates around the globe and provide ample time to discuss the nine healthcare topics and evidence-based policy recommendations.
Bringing together global healthcare leaders, health practitioners, researchers, and innovators in a virtual setting, discussions around topics that represent pressing global health challenges, including COVID-19, will be at the center of the event.
Five of this year’s discussion topics revolve around reports that are being produced in partnership with Imperial College London. These topics focus on climate change, the role that schools play in health, health in major sporting events, immunotherapy, and the relationship between mental health and digital technologies.
Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, Executive Chair of WISH and also Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, said: “At its heart, WISH is an inclusive global community striving to achieve a common goal of building a healthier society. WISH believes that dialogue and innovation are essential to make this universal ambition a reality. The current pandemic has clearly shown that complex healthcare challenges need a coordinated global response.
“WISH 2020 is an opportunity to strengthen global collaboration to tackle the world’s most pressing health issues. Our distinguished forum chairs and forum members will explore diverse topics that urgently require interventions and will deliver fresh insights and strategies to overcome these critical challenges through innovation and policy changes.”
Work on a report examining the relationship between climate change and health has been led by Dr. David Nabarro, Co-Director of the Institute of Global Health, Imperial College London and the World Health Organization’s Special Envoy on COVID-19. The report, which will be published to coincide with WISH 2020, will make the case for health as a means of changing political attitudes to climate change.
A second report, on the Role of Schools on Child And Adolescent Health, will highlight how promoting healthcare-related activities at school can create a framework for improved health and educational outcomes.
Given that crowded sporting events are high-risk environments for the transference of infectious diseases and incidents that may impact local health services, Health Challenges in Major Sporting Events will provide a framework to effectively plan for such issues.
The Immunotherapy report and discussion will focus on addressing challenges faced by healthcare providers in this field, while Mental Health & Digital Technologies will investigate how new digital technologies can best be used to provide practical strategies as part of an integrated system for managing mental health issues.
This year's winners of the WISH innovation competitions, set to be announced later this month, will showcase their healthcare inventions in a fully interactive Innovation Hub during WISH 2020, which will also include a library, where participants can engage with the authors of the WISH research reports, key speakers, and innovators. Additionally, the Innovation Hub will feature a Wellness Room, where visitors can participate in sessions that foster wellness, including Pilates, yoga, and mindfulness. People will be able to access the Innovation Hub from the kick-off of WISH 2020, with its activities continuing to run until the end of December this year.
Sultana Afdhal, Chief Executive Officer of WISH Qatar, said: "The new demands emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed us even further to focus this year on strengthening global healthcare systems to withstand its shocks. A virtual WISH 2020 promises to widen access and participation, with enriched discussions on policy-driven areas and innovations that transform lives. In the current challenging times, it is especially important for a global entity like WISH to stay active and focused on the main issues shaping the future of healthcare, among them climate change, sustainability, and mental health."
WISH is a Qatar Foundation initiative. To register to attend the 2020 summit, please visit www.wish.org.qa
About the World Innovation Summit for Health
The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) is a global healthcare community dedicated to capturing and disseminating the best evidence-based ideas and practices. WISH is an initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) and is under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, its Chairperson.
The inaugural WISH Summit took place in Doha in 2013 and convened more than 1,000 global healthcare leaders. Through international summits and a range of ongoing initiatives, WISH is creating a global community of leading innovators in healthcare policy, research, and industry.
Together, they are harnessing the power of innovation to overcome the world’s most urgent healthcare challenges and inspire other stakeholders to action.
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