AUSTRALIA: Monash University’s contributions in the global public health arena have been recognised with the successful bid to host the 2024 World Health Summit.
The M8 Alliance - the academic foundation of the World Health Summit - has announced Monash University, with support from the Victorian Government, Tourism Australia and the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) will host the 2024 Regional Meeting in Melbourne from 22-24 April.
Monash is a key contributor to the M8 Alliance and the only member from Australia. The University is a prominent participant at the annual World Health Summit (WHS) and in 2011 was recognised with co-presidency.
The 2024 World Health Summit Regional Meeting’s theme is Informed Prevention, Informed Care with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region.
Agenda-setting has begun around three key topics affecting global health outcomes – thriving communities, geopolitical security and climate change mitigation. The proposed program draws on the global challenges that define the University’s strategic agenda, enabled through a commitment to enhancing the areas of learning, innovation and change to help address these global challenges.
Monash University President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Gardner AC said Monash was proud to host the WHS Regional Meeting.
“We are delighted to host the 2024 World Health Summit Regional Meeting, and we thank the Executive Committee for this exciting opportunity to convene one of the most significant events with the world’s public health leaders,” Professor Gardner said.
“Monash is a leading international medical research university in a thriving technology and health precinct. We look forward to facilitating an effective forum where the exchange of knowledge and the strengthening of intersectoral and international collaboration can result in addressing some of the greatest health challenges of our time.”
Professor Christina Mitchell AO, Dean of Monash Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, and head of Australia’s M8 delegation, said the recognition reinforced the University’s status as a collaborative clinical and research leader and innovator in the region.
“The World Health Summit embodies a deep sense of collective responsibility among the global health community to create effective channels for exchange between different scientific disciplines and between science, politics and society,” Professor Mitchell said.
MCB Chief Executive, Julia Swanson, said this bid win for Melbourne is significant as it will be the first time the WHS Regional Meeting has been held in Australia.
“This event will leave a lasting legacy when it brings together key opinion leaders and decision makers across the globe to Melbourne to produce an M8 Alliance Declaration, providing recommendations to tackle key challenges, influencing policies, investment, best practice and opportunities for government, universities, and the health sector,” Ms Swanson said.
Professor Sophia Zoungas, Head of Monash Public Health and Preventive Medicine, presented the Melbourne 2024 bid at the World Health Summit in Berlin last week.
“There is a real sense of excitement about this opportunity. We look forward to working with our partners, including our Pacific and South Asian colleagues, to convene an important event that will strengthen collaborations and advance our collective efforts to address the key challenges for health in our region,” Professor Zoungas said.
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