Welcoming the New Co-Chairs of Our Environmental Health Working Group

A warm welcome to Hanna-Andrea Rother and Lwando Maki for joining our family as Co-Chairs of our Environmental Health Working Group.

Hanna-Andrea is a Professor and Head of the Environmental Health Division at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Lwando is a Public Health Medicine Specialist and Internal Medicine doctor from South Africa.

We look forward to working together towards our goals of protecting and promoting health and well-being worldwide.

Thank You to the Outgoing Chair and Co-Chair of Our Environmental Health Working Group

The WFPHA extends its deepest gratitude to Liz Hanna and Peter Orris for their exemplary work and leadership as Chair and Co-Chair of its Environmental Health Working Group. Their professionalism, commitment, and positive attitude have been truly inspiring, and the group’s accomplishments under their guidance have been nothing short of remarkable.

The WFPHA is immensely grateful for their contributions and wishes them a fruitful journey ahead, confident in their ability to continue making a significant impact on the field of environmental health.

Meet Our New Governing Council Member, Dr Ramón Anulfo López Ledesma

On May 2, 2023, during the General Assembly of the World Federation of Public Health Associations, member organizations have elected Dr Ramón Anulfo López Ledesma as a new member of our Governing Council (GC). He represents the Americas region on the GC.

Ramón is President of the Dominican Society of Public Health of the Dominican Republic. He is a physician, specialist in Health and Social Security Management and Professor of Quality, Global Health and Bioethics, in different postgraduate and master’s programs in public health in the country. He is the Executive Director of the Alliance of Public Health Associations of the Americas. He is a former alternate member of the Executive Council of the World Health Organization. For more than two decades, he has been working hard in the community, health, and education areas through the Foundation Sol Naciente.

Thank You to Outgoing Governing Council Member

The WFPHA recognizes the outstanding contributions and unwavering commitment of its Outgoing Governing Council (GC) member, Dr Jesus Gonzalez.

Dr Gonzalez, a surgeon from the Faculty of Medicine of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), served the GC as a representative of the Americas region.

Dr Gonzalez’s tenure as a member of our GC has been marked by his exceptional dedication, expertise, and relentless efforts to promote global public health. The WFPHA expresses its sincere gratitude to him for his invaluable contributions, which have undoubtedly advanced the organization’s mission to promote and protect public health worldwide. His exceptional leadership, vision, and dedication have been a source of inspiration for colleagues and peers alike.

As Dr Gonzalez embarks on new endeavors, the WFPHA extends its heartfelt appreciation and wishes him a fruitful journey ahead, confident in his ability to continue making a significant difference in the field of public health.

WFPHA at WHA76: An Individual Statement on INB

The 76th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) takes place in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 21–30, 2023.

The World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) attends WHA76 with a strong statement addressing the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) negotiations.

High-Level Symposium on Health Policy & Personalized Medicine for Cancer: Projecting Europe-China Collaboration in the Global Arena

The World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) organizes the High-Level Symposium on Health Policy and Personalized Medicine for Cancer: Projecting Europe-China Collaboration in the Global Arena, which is set to take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 26, 2023, in conjunction with the World Health Assembly.

This symposium marks an important occasion for presenting the main results of the Integrating China in the International Consortium for Personalized Medicine (IC2PerMed) project and discussing the implementation of policies and programs on personalized medicine for cancer and beyond at the national and international level.

The symposium starts with a presentation of a roadmap created by the IC2PerMed project over the past four years. The roadmap aims to promote consistent approaches to personalized medicine research, development, innovation, and policies between the People’s Republic of China and the European Union.

The symposium continues with three panels. The first panel, chaired by Bettina Borisch, Executive Director of the WFPHA, discusses how to transform the roadmap into an effective program at the national level by mobilizing funding and commitments from policymakers across various countries. This panel features world-renowned speakers from various countries, including Walter Ricciardi, President of Mission Board for Cancer of European Commission; WenYa Wang, Tsinghua University; Ricardo Baptista-Leite, former member of the Portuguese Parliament and Chief Executive Officer of I-DAIR; and Carlos Gadelha, Secretary of Science, Technology, and Innovation of the Brazilian Ministry of Health.

The second panel, chaired by Stefania Boccia, Professor of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine, and Public Health at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome, focuses on data, access, accountability, and innovation. The panel features influential speakers from the health industry, big data, and innovation sectors, including Ejner Moltzen, ICPerMed Coordinator; Denis Horgan, Director of the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine; and Zisis Kozlakidis, Head of Laboratory Support, Biobanking, and Services at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), just to name a few.

The third panel, chaired by Walter Ricciardi, President of Mission Board for Cancer of European Commission, focuses on the empowerment of health professionals. This panel brings together experts who are well-versed in the challenges and opportunities for implementing personalized medicine programs in the healthcare sector. High-level speakers from the main health-related non-governmental organizations, including Howard Catton, Chief Executive Officer of the International Council of Nurses; Otmar Kloiber, Secretary General of the World Medical Association; Cary Adams, Chief Executive Officer of the Union for International Cancer Control; and Ronald Lavater, Chief Executive Officer of the International Hospital Federation, confirmed their participation at this panel.

This symposium represents a milestone in the harmonization and implementation of effective approaches to personalized medicine, creating common ground for the wider implementation of personalized medicine globally.