World Innovation Summit for Health to hold third edition of conference in Qatar with groundbreaking research
DOHA: The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a global initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), plans to hold the third edition of its health policy summit from 29th to 30 November, 2016 in Doha, Qatar.
WISH brings together thousands of high-level policymakers, academics, and professionals, and has evolved into a significant platform for the dissemination of healthcare innovation and best practices. It is aligned with QF’s mission to reinforce Qatar’s pioneering role as an emerging center for healthcare innovation while also unlocking human potential.
The upcoming 2016 Summit will feature six groundbreaking research forums that highlight and address some of the world’s most pressing healthcare challenges. Chaired by internationally renowned experts, the forums will generate interdisciplinary, evidencebased reports on topics including Autism, Behavioral Insights, Cardiovascular Disease, the Economic Benefits of Investing in Health, Healthy Populations, and Precision Medicine. For the first time, WISH will also report on its ongoing impact locally and globally on issues previously highlighted at WISH, such as Diabetes, Accountable Care, and Patient Safety.
Engineer Saad Al Muhannadi, President of Qatar Foundation, said: “At Qatar Foundation, all of our efforts are dedicated to promoting innovation and finding solutions that foster productive change regionally and globally. We established the World Innovation Summit for Health for this purpose, and through WISH, we have successfully created a platform that brings together stakeholders from all over the globe to discuss solutions to the world’s most urgent healthcare challenges.”
“The WISH Summit is just one initiative in our multifaceted approach. Year-round panel discussions, webinars, and published reports are also all in place to encourage positive and productive change in healthcare policies around the world for the betterment of our society and the global society as a whole,” Engineer Saad concluded.
Professor The Lord Darzi of Denham, Executive Chair of WISH and Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College of London, added: “The world’s healthcare systems are facing huge challenges. With persisting health inequalities, ageing populations, and governments grappling with the rising costs of delivering care, the need for innovation in healthcare has never been more pressing. Building on the success of the 2015 summit and the ongoing programs that sprang from it , it is gratifying to see WISH encouraging and supporting policy innovation for the benefit of populations everywhere “
Outlining the summit’s development, WISH’s Chief Executive Officer Egbert Schillings said: “In the past 18 months, WISH has performed a pivot from conference to community. This is a community of the impatient who seek to accelerate the pace of change in healthcare and to impact health policy at all levels. In November of next year, we will be proud to present both exciting new research on key topics for healthcare leaders everywhere, as well as showcase the difference this community makes every day.”
In addition to new health policy research forums, the summit will also feature Innovation Showcases from around the world that are shaping the design, delivery, and financing of care, as well as a cohort of Young Innovators; emerging health care leaders under the age of 30, whose contributions to global health deserve wider recognition.
The second WISH summit was held in February 2015, bringing together more than 1,200 delegates from 93 countries to discuss and debate practical, lasting, and innovative solutions to global healthcare challenges. WISH remains closely aligned to the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation.