Agenda
AGENDA
Further information will be added to the summit agenda
in the coming days as additional speakers and sessions are confirmed.
Times are Doha times (GMT+3)
OPENING DAY
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 5
Select a day
Welcome to Virtual WISH 2020…
This year, WISH will take place in a unique and fully immersive 3D platform across more days, featuring more sessions, and involving significantly more participants.
Join us at our Opening Ceremony where our MC, BBC broadcaster Mishal Husain, will welcome you and provide highlights of the week to come.
Speakers:
Forum Panel – 75mn
An understanding of the devastating impacts that climate change will have, and is already having, on human health is growing among the scientific community, with many recent reports categorizing climate change as a public health emergency.
Yet, we have not seen health system leaders and health professionals playing a sufficiently prominent role as advocates for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Climate Change and Health forum panel will review missed opportunities and how we can go on to leverage some of the most trusted voices in society.
Speakers:
In Focus – 45mn
In partnership with Qatar Charity.
In the World Humanitarian Summit 2016, the Secretary-General called for humanitarian action to be ‘as local as possible, as international as necessary’. In 2020, the localization agenda is more relevant than ever.
A panel of four experts in humanitarian aid, localization and funding hold an interactive dialogue to inform on the urgent need to recognize and support local communities in being the decision-makers and the leaders of solutions impacting their healthcare systems. The dialogue aims at strengthening action towards localization and keeping abreast of current good practices and innovative approaches in the field, while identifying common challenges and opportunities to link national healthcare strategies with broader global localization frameworks.
SPEAKERS:
• Ishrat Ullah, Head of Relief at Qatar Charity
• Bashayer Al Ali, International Programs Director at Qatar Fund
• Dr. Robert F. Walters, Chairman at Orbis
• Mohammed Amad, Chairperson at National Humanitarian Network
45mn
In partnership with Weyak.
The impact of COVID-19 on our community’s mental health has been considerable and there is an expected significant increase of mental health difficulties and greater need for psychological support. The global community has experienced high levels distress and the key themes have been anxiety, grief, trauma/PTSD and significant loss leading to depression. Developing an understanding and education around mental health is therefore important as well as equipping and empowering individuals with the right coping mechanisms. However, in the journey to resilience and mental wellness as a global community, a vital skill that is often missed is ‘emotional agility’ which often leads to further suffering and gets in the way of recovery. It is therefore vital that individuals have the adequate understanding and skills which includes emotional agility in order to promote psychological flourishing.
Policy briefing – 55mn
To include the launch of the Economist Intelligence Unit report ‘Doing better? The Promise of Precision Medicine.
Healthcare is undergoing a transformation, and it is imperative to leverage new technologies to generate new data and support the advent of precision medicine. Recent scientific breakthroughs and technological advancements have improved our disease knowledge and altered diagnosis and treatment approaches, resulting in more precise, predictive, preventative and personalised healthcare.
The Precision Medicine policy briefing will look in detail at the issues surrounding continued development, sustained investment, risk factors, testing and approval of innovations for better strategy, while also providing recommendations to advance precision medicine initiatives in Qatar and internationally. This session will also include the launch of the Economist Intelligent report ‘Doing better? The Promise of Precision Medicine’.
Speakers:
45mn
In partnership with Silatech.
Marginalized categories such as women and young people have been severely and disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and suffered damages and losses that are estimated to last for decades to come. According to the ILO, more than one in six young people aged 18-29 became unemployed since the start of the pandemic.
The estimations of Human Rights Watch (HRW) show that the economic fallout is expected to increase poverty headcount at $5.50 per day by about half billion people, which comprises 8% of the world’s population. This could reverse the global progress in reducing poverty by a decade, and in conflict regions the damages could last for longer than 30 years.
The economic and social impacts on women and young people working in the healthcare sector in war and conflict-affected areas highlight the massive need for cooperation and multi-sectoral partnership between different sectors to recover and move forward in the development agenda. Today, the world has a great responsibility to respond and to come up with innovative, comprehensive, inclusive, and forward-looking policy responses to help young people through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond to prevent the long-lasting losses for young people.
Forum Panel – 75mn
In partnership with the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation and Primary Health Care Corporation.
The Communicable Diseases and Climate Change forum panel will discuss what global health should do differently and what past suggestions to address the impact of climate change on infectious disease have gone unheeded, while evaluating how might climate change affect the spread, prevention, and treatment of infectious disease.
Speakers:
Prof. Jeremy Hess
Professor in Emergency Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and Global Health.
University of Washington
15mn
‘Dr. Tom’, as he is affectionately known, is the only surgeon for approximately 1.3 million people in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan, Sudan. He has served in Africa for more than 20 years helping to establish the Gidel Mother of Mercy Hospital, which opened in 2008 and remains the only major provider of medical care in a vast region.
Speakers:
Master Class – 45mn
A masterclass presented by Henry Timms, President and CEO, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Timms has won critical acclaim from the worlds of business and academia for his compelling perspective and insights on power and influence. His masterclass will discuss how we can use the growth of the influence of new powers to build healthier societies.
Speakers:
45mn
Mental and neurological conditions account for 9% of the global burden of disease and cost the global economy over US$3 trillion annually. These numbers are likely underestimates, not reflecting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental and neurological health. Yet only 14% of the global disease burden for mental health can be averted by 2040 by scaling up existing treatments, which means that significant additional investment in research is needed.
The Intersection of COVID-19 and Brain Health session will discuss how COVID-19 affects mental and neurological health and identify key gaps and opportunities to make an impact. There will be a special focus on the effects in developing countries. The presentation will conclude with an introduction of the Healthy Brains Global Initiative (HBGI), an ambitious US$10 billion initiative recently profiled in the Financial Times. HBGI will mobilize US$500 million to address brain health in the context of COVID-19.
In Focus – 45mn
In partnership with The Carter Center.
What if you help could put an end to a painful or deadly disease? If you could ensure that no one would ever suffer from it again? That goal of eradicating a human disease is ambitious, and the challenges are enormous—but the potential benefits are even greater. To date, we’ve accomplished it only once. Now, at the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, join a conversation with the global health experts who led the campaign against smallpox and who are working to replicate this success against Guinea worm and other devastating afflictions.
Speakers:
45mn
Social media platforms have become more important than before in our daily life, as they have begun to play the role of liaison between family members, friends and co-workers as well, in addition to the much-needed entertainment with the increasing of our physical isolation in the Covid-19 pandemic, as it requires current access to social media platforms for information need, especially given the circumstances that more people seek immediate information.
This panel session is to highlight the positive role of social media platforms in promoting awareness and protecting the health of society in Arab world. It is an essential source for sharing health awareness, promoting for better health outcomes and increasing knowledge among people, especially at the present time, by helping millions of people to stay in contact with each other, and to combat misinformation and fake news, and increase the reliable content on its various platforms.
ِAgora – 45mn
Based on the traditional Greek assembly places, where community members would meet to exchange news, the Agora sessions are informal discussions where a cross section of the extensive WISH community will form a jury of 12 people who will examine a particularly challenging and thought-provoking topic.
45mn
In partnership with the Foundation of Advancement in Medical Education and Research.
The purpose of accreditation systems is to enhance the quality of medical education and training and ensure that graduates are ready to begin postgraduate training or practice effectively as physicians. The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) is the certifying body for international medical graduates (IMGs) who wish to enter postgraduate training positions in the United States. Beginning in 2024, ECFMG will require that applicants graduate from a medical school that has been appropriately accredited. To satisfy this requirement, medical schools must be accredited by an agency that has been recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME).
In this session we will provide a summary of medical education accreditation activities around the world and describe the status of ECFMG’s 2024 accreditation requirement. A brief review of research conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of accreditation will also be given.
15mn
45mn
In partnership with Qatar Biobank.
A vulnerable population is a group of people that requires greater protection than normal against the potential risks of participating in research. Individuals in vulnerable populations may have a higher risk of negative outcomes as a result of participating in a research study, they may have a reduced capacity or ability.
In addition to vulnerable subject populations such as children, prisoners, and pregnant women (covered in the subparts of the federal regulations for human subject’s research), there are special classes of subjects including students, employees, and cognitively impaired individuals who may be vulnerable in terms of their research participation.
Forum Panel – 75mn
Immunotherapy – treatments that harness the power of the immune system to fight disease – is arguably the most exciting and dynamic field in biopharmaceuticals today. After decades of research and investment, immunotherapy has reached a point of exceptional opportunity, poised to revolutionize treatment of an array of conditions that affect millions of people worldwide.
The Immunotherapy forum panel will discuss these developments, while addressing key challenges such as high costs, infrastructure burdens and limited funding for fundamental research.
Speakers:
In Focus – 45mn
In partnership with Save the Children.
In the world’s worst modern conflicts children are exposed to explosive weapons – rockets, mortars, grenades, mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In the five deadliest conflicts for children in 2017, Save the Children analysis of UN data shows nearly three-quarters of all child casualties were caused by explosive weapons. Since the UN started tracking numbers of grave violations against children fourteen years ago; over 100,000 children have been killed and maimed in conflicts around the world. Formed in December 2018, the Paediatric Blast Injury Partnership brought together academics, scientists and practitioners from the military and humanitarian space who all agreed that children have unique vulnerabilities to the weapons of modern war. This partnership has subsequently evolved and brought in more organisations committed to finding practical solutions to this devastating challenge. This panel will look at some of the latest trends at providing healthcare for children in conflict and will formally launch the French translation of the world’s first Paediatric Blast Injury Field Manual. It will also talk to the hope being attached to a new political declaration, led by Ireland, to address the humanitarian harm caused by explosive weapons in conflict.
SPEAKERS:
• Dr. Michael von Bertele, University of Southampton
• James Denselow, Head of Conflict Team at Save the Children
• Alma Al Osta, Protection of Civilians Advocacy Manager, Humanity & Inclusion
• Dr. David Henson, Imperial College London
45mn
In partnership with Qatar Biomedical Research Institute.
Since the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and related pandemic of COVID-19 disease in January 2020, biomedical researchers worldwide have refocused to meet the urgent demand for vaccine development, diagnosis for clinical and environmental samples, risk prediction for progression of COVID-19 to severe symptoms, and development of therapeutics and prophylactics. QBRI investigators responded to develop innovative diagnostics, strategies for repurposed therapeutics and prophylactics, with collaborators: Qatar University, Hamad Medical Corporation and WISH. Interim results from the World Health Organization Solidarity Therapeutics Trial indicate that treatments with remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon appear to have little or no effect on 28-day mortality or the in-hospital course of COVID-19 among hospitalized patients; so new treatment and prophylactic options are urgently required for COBVID-19. In this symposium, QBRI investigators at the frontline of the biomedical pushback against COVID-19 will present their insights and advances.
Policy briefing – 45mn
In partnership with the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation and Primary Health Care Corporation.
In 2011, Qatar launched the First National Cancer Control Programme in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Critical to its success were robust governance structures, informed and committed leadership, and comprehensive involvement of all sectors. Future development will focus on consolidating areas of significant achievement and incorporating cutting-edge technologies.
The Cancer Care policy briefing will review key lessons from Qatar’s model, including how these principles can be adapted to other countries internationally to be culturally specific, while also reviewing a number of further key recommendations.
Speakers:
45mn
Catch up with young innovators previously showcased at WISH who have subsequently gone on to find success. The entrepreneurs will explain how they turned their idea into viable businesses and share their knowledge of pitfalls overcome and opportunities embraced and they will offer their tips for others looking to develop their own projects.
15mn
Lauded for the emotional depth he brings to his portrayal of complex roles, Morgan Freeman has won numerous awards over a career spanning five decades. Off-screen, he has been recognized for his inspirational humanitarian work and is an activist who regularly speaks out against social injustice.
Speakers:
Forum Panel – 75mn
With a focus on vulnerable subpopulations, the Healthy Dry Cities forum panel will investigate what impact water scarcity in cities may have on mental health, how architecture and planning in cities with scarce water can promote health and wellbeing, while discussing infectious disease in water scarce cities and how health services can be optimally organized to adapt and respond to increasing urban dryness.
Speakers:
Master Class – 45mn
A masterclass by Yasmin Mogahed, author and lecturer, discussing human resilience and the role spirituality plays in keeping people mentally strong during difficult times such as the current pandemic. Mogahed is currently an instructor for AlMaghrib Institute and AlBuruj Press, a writer for the Huffington Post, and author of two books that include collections of personal reflections, lessons, and quotes.
Speakers:
45mn
In partnership with The Carter Center.
Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) is a debilitating parasitic disease transmitted through the bites of mosquitoes. The painful and profoundly disfiguring symptoms of LF—including elephantiasis, a conspicuous swelling of the feet and legs and hydrocele, swelling of the male scrotum—result from parasite-induced damage to the lymphatic system. Patients are not only physically disabled, but suffer mental, social and financial losses contributing to stigma and poverty. The Carter Center assists the Ministries of Health in Haiti and the Dominican Republic to eliminate LF from their shared island of Hispaniola, which accounts for 90% of the LF burden in the Western hemisphere. This session will highlight progress and innovation in the two main strategies recommended by the World Health Organization for LF elimination. The mass drug administration (MDA) necessary to arrest parasite transmission requires compliance of patients and flexibility on the part of health workers. The Carter Center is working with two start-up companies—Crosscut and Balcony—to improve the planning and implantation of annual MDA campaigns. Simultaneously, The Center is working to expand the availability of clinical services to manage the chronic manifestations and prevent disability related to LF. For decades, only one facility in Haiti provided such care. The Carter Center, with funding from Qatar WISH Foundation, is leading health worker training to increase the number of facilities able to provide LF morbidity services throughout Haiti.
In focus – 45mn
In partnership with the United Nations Technology Bank.
Innovative health technologies – rapidly developed, equitably accessible, and easily diffused – can help countries sustainably reduce their health vulnerabilities and become resilient to future shocks. The WISH Summit and the UN Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries will through this session facilitate an exchange of ideas and share experiences on systematic approaches to creating health resilience, using technology transfer for COVID -19 as a starting point. How can the world access and diffuse key health technologies for a more resilient future? What needs doing, by whom?
SPEAKERS:
• Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States
• Dr. Mario Sanchez, Founder at MSG Pharma
• Dr. Chun Yuan Chiang, Founder at IHDpay Group
• Mr. Majid Kaddoumi, Vice President and Managing Director of Medtronic Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa
• Mr. Joshua Setipa, Managing Director of UN Technology Bank
• Ms. Tesi Rusagara, Managing Director of the Kigali Innovation City
Speakers:
45mn
In partnership with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
A panel discussion looking at the science and research of reversing Type 2 Diabetes through the innovation of Lifestyle Medicine. The panel will discuss many facets of Type 2 Diabetes including the history, the cost implications around managing Type 2 Diabetes, the growing number of individuals developing Type 2 Diabetes and its impact on overall health, the transition from standard care delivery to value-based, and the cost savings realized through Lifestyle Medicine treatment.
Agora – 45mn
Based on the traditional Greek assembly places, where community members would meet to exchange news, the Agora sessions are informal discussions where a cross section of the extensive WISH community will form a jury of 12 people who will examine a particularly challenging and thought-provoking topic.
45mn
In partnership with Qatar Medical Students Association.
Qatar Medical Students’ Association (QMSA-Qatar) is an entirely youth-led organization under the umbrella of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA). QMSA-Qatar aims to unite, empower and support future healthcare leaders to redefine healthcare one student at a time. Within the last few years, QMSA-Qatar has strived to positively contribute to the growth and empowerment of the national and global community through aligning its vision and projects with Qatar’s National Vision 2030, and The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Through this panel, said contributions’ impact will be explored in the context of meaningful youth participation and involvement.
15mn
45mn
In partnership with the International Federation of Medical Student Associations.
The world is becoming more and more aware of the issues revolving around the Global Health Workforce and its complex aspects. The existing shortage has been further emphasized during the COVID-19 era. As a health workforce of today and tomorrow, many medical students, students of other health-related sciences, as well as early-career professionals experienced something no other generation did: deployment of youth as temporary surge capacity in healthcare facilities and involvement of youth in different COVID-19 initiatives, from raising awareness activities and becoming part of consultancy groups to working in contact-tracing and national COVID-19 phone helplines. Various experiences highlight the adaptability of youth, their resourcefulness as well as general usefulness of youth being involved in pandemic response. These difficult times have shaped a new generation of future healthcare professionals and global health leaders.
This session will address the opportunities and challenges of youth COVID-19 deployment, explore youth-led actions and initiatives that brought about innovative and impactful solutions, and reflect on the way forward when it comes to meaningful and responsible youth engagement in the times of pandemics.
Forum Panel – 75mn
In no area of global health is the gap between need and treatment greater than mental health and this is even more true of digital mental health, where in recent years there has been an explosion of new technologies for assessment, support and treatment. Properly managed, these technologies hold the promise of a revolution in the approach to mental health care delivery.
The next five years will see many of these new approaches come to maturity, with robust evidence of cost- effectiveness. The Mental Health and Digital Technology forum panel will evaluate how real impact depends on whether these isolated tools can be brought together into coherent pathways and packages of care.
Speakers:
Dr. Dena Al-Thani
Assistant Professor and the Director of Interdisciplinary Programs
Hamad bin Khalifa University
In Focus – 45 mn
In partnership with Emergency NGO.
In countries affected by conflict and poverty, there is a serious need to rethink the models of international cooperation in the health sector. This panel session aims to bring together international health and development experts to question the idea of two-tier medicine, in favour of a more comprehensive approach for an equal access to healthcare for all. Is it possible and sustainable to provide free, quality healthcare to everyone who needs it, respecting human rights and ensuring the dignity of every individual? Drawing upon decades of experience running high-quality hospitals from Afghanistan to Sudan, Rossella Miccio, president of EMERGENCY NGO, will share the challenges and results of promoting a human rights-based medicine.
SPEAKERS:
• Dr. Diana Atwine, Incumbent Permanent Secretary at Uganda Ministry of Health
• Ahmed Al Mandhari, Regional Director at WHO EMRO
• Dr. Paul Farmer, Regional Director at WHO EMRO
• Rossella Miccio, CEO at Emergency NGO
45mn
In partnership with The Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life and The BMJ.
This session explores tensions which emerged in a variety of ways during the Rome Symposium between autonomy and authority – the autonomy of the individual and the authority of the social group, which could be a family, profession or religion. Autonomy, as self-rule, is often seen as the cornerstone of individualistic liberal democracies, with strong cultural roots, but a narrow understanding of autonomy can be criticised. It will be suggested that this is especially obvious when links are made with other conceptually complex ideas such as the notions of dignity, personhood or authenticity. This critique of autonomy points in the direction of relational autonomy as a better option, emphasising as it does context and social embedding, where a broader conception of what it is to be a person holds greater strength. In turn, this broader vision, and consequently what it is to have autonomy, allows space for authority.
Policy briefing – 45mn
The Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Development policy briefing will provide an overview of the progress in this key area, with a strong focus on Qatar-specific context. It will highlight: the current evidence about nurses’ and midwives’ contribution to health and wellbeing, both globally and nationally; key issues and achievements in terms of leadership, education, and training; and collaborative partnerships and initiatives in this space.
It will examine current gaps in the field and discuss policy recommendations to achieve better workforce outcomes, while contributing to effective service delivery and increased access to healthcare services.
Speakers:
45mn
Exscalate4cov is a public-private consortium supported by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 tender for projects to counter the Coronavirus pandemic and improve the management and care of patients. At the core of Exscalate4CoV is Exscalate (EXaSCale smArt pLatform Against paThogEns), at present the most powerful and cost-efficient intelligent supercomputing platform in the world. Exscalate has a “chemical library” of 500 billion molecules and a processing capacity of more than 3 million molecules per second. The Exscalate4CoV consortium, coordinated by Dompé Farmaceutici (Italy), is composed by 18 institutions from seven European countries. Chelonia – the swiss leading player in translational science, communication & dissemination – is one of the member of the consortium. Last July 2020 the consortium, only in 3 months from start of the project, announced the finding of an existing osteoporosis drug (Raloxifene) showing potential for treating COVID-19. Now, in agreement with European Commission, the consortium is launching the most important crowdsourcing project ever: data generated by in-silico simulation and in-vitro analysis will be make freely available to the international scientific community for doing molecular docking at home and finding new therapeutic candidates against coronavirus.
15mn
Eva Longoria is well known for her extensive philanthropic work. In 2012, she founded the Eva Longoria Foundation, which works to empower Latina women through a focus on education and entrepreneurship. In 2006, the star of Desperate Housewives co-founded Eva’s Heroes, a charity that acts as an advocate for children with developmental needs, so that their voices can be heard.
Speakers:
Forum panel – 75mn
The rapid global adoption of emerging technologies in healthcare in recent years has led to increased vulnerability to cyber threats capable of compromising patient safety data confidentiality and eroding patient trust. In recent years, and particularly since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of cyber-attacks has risen globally. Yet healthcare systems and organizations around the world are lagging behind other sectors in developing cyber readiness.
The Cybersecurity and Healthcare Systems panel forum will review how digital solutions have the potential to revolutionize healthcare and improve the health of people around the globe, while mitigating the accompanying risk of cyber threats.
Speakers:
15mn
Peter Sands has been the Executive Director of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria since March 2018.
Since June 2015 Peter has been a Research Fellow at Harvard University, dividing his time between the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Global Health Institute.
Speakers:
Master Class – 45mn
This masterclass will talk about aspects of Alastair Campbell’s latest bestselling book Living Better: How I Learned to Survive Depression, a moving and life affirming account of his lifelong struggle with depression. Campbell will also share his insights about the stigma associated with talking about depression and how to he overcame it.
Speakers:
45mn
In partnership with The Carter Center.
A healthier world can only be achieved through strong partnerships. Diseases occur within individuals and communities due to variety of pathogens and multiple overlapping factors, which means medical and public health professionals must address the complex factors of the overlapping issues and the diseases at the same time. This requires a diverse set of partnerships. Trachoma, the leading preventable cause of blindness in the world, is one such disease that requires creative approaches that involve multiple partnerships. Sudan has made significant progress in moving closer to the goal of eliminating trachoma as a public health problem within its borders; however, insecurity, influx of refugees, weak health systems at the local level and now COVID-19 pandemic create a challenging atmosphere to implement the planned interventions timely, which reflects the greater need to work together. This panel will bring together representatives from the Sudan Federal Ministry of Health, The Carter Center, and the World Health Organization to discuss how partnerships have enabled/will enable Sudan to achieve successes while addressing what is still needed to reach elimination goals.
In Focus – 45mn
At a time when access to facts is vital and the veracity of the information we read can mean the difference between life and death, we are at risk of being bombarded with half truths and downright lies. In recent years, the growth of social media has seen a parallel growth in online misinformation and subterfuge, with the public increasingly swayed by what they read, led more by shocking headlines than evidence based on science. How can we insure that antivaxers and conspiracy theorists don’t thwart efforts to safeguard the public against the real threat of COVID-19 or stop the successful delivery of vaccines to enough people for them to be effective? Or is the concept of an infodemic to match the current pandemic overblown?
SPEAKERS:
• Alastair Campbell, Writer, Communicator and Strategist
• Fiona Godlee, Editor in Chief at BMJ
• Mihajlo Popesku, Head of Research at Auspex International
45mn
Art therapist Trish Bedford provides an essential, practical guide to using expressive art as a method for fostering healing and mental well-being. (This session includes practical exercises that require access to basic art materials.)
Agora – 45mn
Based on the traditional Greek assembly places, where community members would meet to exchange news, the Agora sessions are informal discussions where a cross section of the extensive WISH community will form a jury of 12 people who will examine a particularly challenging and thought-provoking topic.
45mn
In partnership with the Ministry of Public Health Qatar.
COVID-19 promoted inter-sectoral collaboration among healthcare providers, epidemiologists, policymakers, scientists, and academia to inform evidence-based decisions undertaken by the state of Qatar. The aim of this session is to present the research activities undertaken by different institutions and how they contributed to inform decision making.
15mn
45mn
This study was carried out by WISH in partnership with Qatar Biomedical Research Institute and the Negdr program, under Qatari Autism Society
Measures taken by most countries to control and limit the spread of the highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus, including the closure of schools and centers providing treatment, rehabilitation, and educational services for ASD patients and training services for ASD providers, has a negative impact on individuals with ASD and their families. The restrictions also have negative impacts on ongoing research and studies on ASD. Nonetheless, efforts are being made by most service providers in finding alternative ways to compensate, even partially, for these restrictions in order to alleviate the great burden on families of individuals with ASD.
Forum Panel – 75mn
In Islam, seeking a cure for infertility is not only permissible but encouraged, against a backdrop that a recent report showed that compared to a 10 per cent infertility rate worldwide, infertility in the MENA region is approximately 16 per cent.
The Infertility and Islamic Ethics forum panel will discuss assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization, as well as cryopreservation, and how each raise a variety of unique ethical concerns.
Speakers:
Dr. Mohammed Ghaly
Professor of Islam and Biomedical Ethics, Academic Director
Hamad Bin Khalifa University
Dr. Alia Abd El Hadi
Chair of Assisted Reproductive Center and Senior Consultant
Hamad Medical Corporation
In Focus – 45mn
The world has seen COVID-19 vaccine development proceed with unprecedented speed and visibility, and many experts predict that some of the vaccines currently in Phase III testing around the world will soon be found to be safe and efficacious. What comes next? How will these vaccines be made, allocated and used in vaccination programs? How well will they work in real populations, and can we ever expect to see “herd immunity” from vaccination? What is the final approval pathway for vaccines first given “emergency use” designation, and will the first set of approved vaccines make it more difficult for the “next wave” of COVID-19 vaccines? These questions will be considered in the context of the return to normalcy, framing the discussion of the post-efficacy future.
Speakers:
45mn
Over the past three decades, the world has seen a dramatic increase in conflict and displacement. Whilst humanitarian needs continue on a global level, today’s crises reflect a persistent pattern that require a broader and more comprehensive intervention that is founded upon long-term, sustainable impact. In this context, it is fundamental to combine and value the humanitarian aid-development link by fostering a common strategic framework and promoting human rights and needs-based responses as the guiding principles.
Building upon EMERGENCY NGO’s experience in providing free, high-quality healthcare to victims of war, landmines and poverty, this panel session aims to explore the importance of multi-level stakeholder responses to the world’s greatest challenges, based upon a sustainable and replicable model of humanitarian interventions.
Policy briefing – 45mn
Dementia is a major global health concern and one of the leading causes of death by disability. This condition significantly alters the lifestyles of those affected as well as their care givers. The Dementia policy briefing highlights recent developments, research trends, and policies in the area of dementia in Qatar. It will also provide insight into challenges and successes across the globe, providing recommendations to improve the lives of those affected by dementia.
Speakers:
45mn
In partnership with Nursing Now.
This roundtable event will bring together a group of international young nurse leaders to lead a discussion about the role of young nurses as global health advocates. During the 45-minute session, they will discuss the importance of the young-nurse voice in the arena of global health advocacy, how to amplify the voice of nurses globally, and how to influence change.
15mn
His Excellency Hassan Al Thawadi is the Secretary General of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the organisation responsible for coordinating the delivery of Qatar’s much anticipated 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will be the very first time that the World Cup will be staged in the Middle East. is the Secretary General of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the organisation responsible for coordinating the delivery of Qatar’s much anticipated 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will be the very first time that the World Cup will be staged in the Middle East.
Speakers:
Forum Panel – 75mn
Major sporting events can provide a multitude of benefits to host countries, from valuable infrastructure investment to heightened tourism income, through to a sense of national pride. While direct public health does benefit from these events through improved healthcare infrastructure, housing and improved transportation, mass gatherings of this scale also present an array of healthcare challenges.
The Health Challenges of Major Sporting Events forum panel will discuss how legacy planning is often not prioritized when dealing with the many stressful demands of delivering a successful event and can result in a missed opportunity in realizing future health and public health benefits.
Speakers:
Master Class – 45mn
Giles Duley is a campaigner for the rights of refugees and those living with disability caused by conflict. Duley is documenting the long-term impact of conflict globally through his photographic project Legacy of War. In 2011, while working in Afghanistan, Duley was severely injured by an IED and, as a result of his injuries, is a triple-amputee.
Speakers:
45mn
In partnership with The Carter Center.
This 45-minute panel from The Carter Center’s Mental Health Program takes a crucial look at how language used to communicate about mental health impacts stigma and discrimination. Join Kari Cobham, senior associate director of The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism and Media, for a robust discussion with international journalists on best practices for reporting on mental health.
In Focus – 45mn
In partnership with Doha Forum and Stimson.
In previewing findings and recommendations from the forthcoming Doha Forum Report on “Coping with New and Old Crises: Global and Regional Cooperation in an Age of Epidemic Uncertainty”, this WISH 2020 panel discussion will consider:
- The initial international emergency response to COVID-19 (including UN system, G7, and G20)
- How the international business community has partnered with international organizations and governments in this effort
- Key dimensions of a proposed three-year socio-economic and green global recovery program from the pandemic
Speakers:
45mn
In partnership with World Psychiatric Association.
Despite the growing evidence about the impact of mental illnesses, mental health services continue showing big gaps. Even the current radical changes in organization, financing, treatment technology, and consumer demand for access and delivery of health services are not showing any big influence on the mental health scene in many countries.
While discussing impacts of current pandemic and disasters on global mental health, the session will highlight that there is no health without mental health and innovation, networking and basic training as well as better models of care using simple but effective paradigms need to be put in place if these countries are to provide better health services especially in current and post COVID-19 world.
Speakers:
45mn
According to WHO, chronic diseases represent 63 % of deaths in the world and 450 million people suffer from mental illness. Even though environmental and socio-economic factors are identified as affecting the health population, these factors are not fully considered by our healthcare systems. Without adequate prevention and sustainable health development strategy, the cost of treating these diseases will negatively affect the global economy. Therefore, the World Council on Prevention and Sustainable Health (WCPSH) has created bridges between scientific experts and international economic leaders to drive a global dynamic, affordable and sustainable health, and prevention in the world. The WCPSH is willing to extend its mission all over the world. Currently, the WCPSH has 3 partners under its umbrella:
The International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk (ICCR) provides relevant scientific knowledge on prevention including 30 world renewed international experts, the Great Corporate Challenge performs health assessments in an attractive way for adults and children and diaMentis worldwide a leader in mental health.
Agora – 45mn
Based on the traditional Greek assembly places, where community members would meet to exchange news, the Agora sessions are informal discussions where a cross section of the extensive WISH community will form a jury of 12 people who will examine a particularly challenging and thought-provoking topic.
Master class – 45mn
A masterclass presented by Safiya Al Bahlani, an Omani artist, creative designer, and inspiring disability rights activist, sharing her personal journey of how art has helped her overcome some of the physical challenges in her life. Her unique and ground-breaking work has garnered her critical praise, driving her to advocate for people with special needs.
Speakers:
Agora – 45mn
Based on the traditional Greek assembly places, where community members would meet to exchange news, the Agora sessions are informal discussions where a cross section of the extensive WISH community will form a jury of 12 people who will examine a particularly challenging and thought-provoking topic.
45mn
In partnership with The Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life.
The current COVID-19 pandemic represents a challenge for health systems around the world relating to the ethical dimension of care and to public health and policy choices. Palliative care ranks among the “protagonists” of health care dedicated to COVID-19 patients, although in many countries the need that emerged has not been fully satisfied and the benefits for patients have been below their real potential. Palliative care has proved to be essential in supporting the decision-making process in the triage phases, in guiding symptom management strategies, in communicating with patients and family members, in supporting the bereavement process, in providing spiritual care to patients and family members. The session will address the topic according to clinical ethics and public health and policy perspective.
Forum Panel – 75mn
Health and education are inextricably linked. Education is widely accepted to be one of the key social determinants of health, while good health is linked with greater educational attainment, employment and productivity.
The Role of Schools in Child and Adolescent Health forum panel will discuss if health is being integrated into the educational system in an effective or substantive way. When efforts to include health are often ‘bolted on’ to existing curricula, are they missing an important opportunity to maximize the impact of schools on children and young people’s health.
Speakers:
In Focus – 45mn
In partnership with Nursing Now.
This is an extraordinary time for health workers. The global pandemic continues to spread and the death toll is rising. Everywhere countries are endeavoring to continue routine health services while dealing with the worst of the pandemic. The toll on the physical and mental health of health workers is reported widely at the moment, highlighting what some have called ‘the crushing mental health toll’ and warning that, beyond its devastating physical effects, the pandemic has unleashed a mental health crisis marked by anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and even suicide. Nursing Now has focused on helping nurses and other health workers to both help themselves and help others. In this session we will share some of the tools and approaches that we have used together with a discussion of the survey that the International Council of Nurses has undertaken showing the huge need to invest in working environments in health facilities that support mental health.
SPEAKERS:
• Barbara Stilwell, Executive Director at Nursing Now
• Howard Catton, Executive Director at International Council of Nurses
• Dr. Marti Balaam
• Ruth Oshikanlu
• Michael Rosen
45mn
In partnership with Qatari-Russian Center for Cooperation.
Women are still underrepresented in the technology and health innovation sector. While many are achieving great success in this field, the world is missing out on significant major opportunities that more women engaged in health innovation would bring. Leading Russian women innovators share their experience and knowledge relating to achieving success and overcoming obstacles. They will share their thoughts on what needs to be done to better unlock women’s potential in the field of health innovation.
Policy briefing – 45mn
In partnership with the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation and Primary Health Care Corporation.
Despite the recent progress across mental health services for children and adolescents in Qatar, significant challenges and gaps exist in the current landscape. The Child & Adolescent Mental Health policy briefing will provide a summary of the current status and recent developments in children and adolescents’ mental health in Qatar, while also highlighting the challenges across the globe in this area.
It will also examine the existing gaps in the field, including: service and care; policy and legislation; public knowledge and awareness. Finally, it will provide recommendations to achieve better outcomes for children and adolescents.
Speakers:
45mn
In partnership with the International Federation of Medical Student Associations.
In 2018, the World Health Organization recognized climate change as the biggest threat to the global health of the 21st century, hence leading to more far-reaching health outcomes than the current pandemic. It is proven that climate change puts the health and wellbeing of billions of people at increased risk through many direct and indirect health impacts, in addition to threatening healthcare systems worldwide.
A new survey from the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) finds that climate change is taught in only 15% of medical schools worldwide. This shows that future doctors aren’t sufficiently trained to recognize the interdependence between health, the ecosystems and climate change. This leaves them unprepared to address the needs of their patients and communities.
In order to shape a healthy post-pandemic recovery and create resilient health care systems, the health workforce needs to be trained and capacitated to mitigate and adapt to these effects. That is why we are proposing this workshop as an interactive way to engage with the topic and brainstorm ideas on how to better integrate climate change into health curricula or transform it into a life-long-learning opportunity.
Forum Panel – 75mn
The Toxic Stress and PTSD in Children forum panel will examine how toxic stress affects the physical and mental health of child refugees, alongside mental ill health related to trauma in richer countries around the world and what can be done to mitigate this stress in such populations.
Speakers:
30mn
The closing chapter and ceremony of Virtual WISH 2020.
Join us for a review of a week where the WISH community has gathered together using the very latest in virtual technology to discuss the latest in evidence-based ideas and best practices in the health care industry, while discovering who is this year’s winner of the WISH Innovation Award.
