The first annual World Health Summit (WHS) was held October 15-18, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. The summit was initiated in March 2009 by the French and German governments, in partnership with Pfizer. It is a “forum to bring together an international array of eminent researchers, physicians, and representatives of government, industry, and health care systems” for the “evolution of medicine“. A welcome message in 2009 given by Australia’s Prime Minister Mr Kevin Rudd. [1, 2]
The forum is to address those health related issues which challenge physicians, scientists, political leaders and those employed in the health care industry. “Among these are health-related consequences of climate change, international pandemic strategies, and the impact of the financial crisis on global health and health care.” [3]
The World Health Summit was founded by the President (2009-2020) Prof Dr Detlev Ganten, to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin [home of Christen Drosten], to bring Germany back on the medical breakthrough’s map and celebrate the likes of Robert Koch, Rudolf Virchow, von Behring and more who “greatly contributed to the advent of modern medicine.” [7, 8]
Each year in October a WHS is held.
- The M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies was initiated by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in 2009, and is the academic foundation of the WHS, in partnership with government and industry
- 2010 theme “Translation, Transition, Transformation”!
- Australia is represented by Monash University, USA by Johns Hopkins, UK by Imperial College etc.
- Central to the topic of 2018 was pandemic preparedness and SDGs [4, 5, 6]
- In 2020 this health summit covered topics of Build Back Better, fighting falsified and substandard medicines during the COVID-19 crisis, Digital Health, AI for Pandemic Preparedness, Climate change and health, vaccination and transmission control and more.