Health summit announces keynote speaker

The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) has announced Dr Lawrence H Summers, a professor at Harvard University and former chief economist of the World Bank, as a keynote speaker for its 2016 summit.

WISH, a global initiative of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), is a meeting point for thousands of high-level policymakers, academics and professionals. The 2016 WISH summit will 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 whose contributions to global health deserve wider recognition.

To be held from 29–30 November at the Qatar National Convention Center, the summit will feature nine panels that highlight and address some of the world’s most pressing healthcare challenges, including autism, accountable care, behavioural insights, cardiovascular disease, health professional education, healthy populations, investing in health, genomics in the Gulf region and precision medicine. WISH will also report on its impact, locally and globally, on issues previously highlighted at the conference, such as diabetes and patient safety.

Dr Summers will discuss the future of aid with a particular focus on investing in global health, drawing on the key lessons from sectors, including education and food aid. He will consider the ongoing neglect of global functions and examine the implications this has for research and development of new medicines, vaccines and diagnostics, as well as policy and implementation research for flu pandemic preparedness and antimicrobial resistance.

Dr Summers will deliver his keynote address on 30 November, the second day of the summit. He said he looks forward to “participating in the WISH 2016 agenda, with its substantial emphasis on the economic issues that will play an increasing role in health policy discussions”.

For more information on the summit, visit http://www.wish-qatar.org/wish-2016.