Leopoldina Annual Assembly focuses on broad spectrum of global health issues

The aim of global health is to improve the situation of and equity for the entire global population with respect to health. This requires collaboration among numerous disciplines, as the field of global health comprises not just medical topics but also aspects relating to social, economic, political, and environmental well-being. This broad spectrum of global health issues is at the heart of this year's Annual Assembly of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, which will be held in Halle (Saale)/Germany on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 September and online.

Leopoldina Annual Assembly 2022
"Global Health: From Health Services to Climate Change and to Social Justice"
Friday 23 September and Saturday 24 September 2022
Leopoldina Main Building
Jägerberg 1, 06108 Halle (Saale)/Germany and online

On Friday 23 September, epidemiologist Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme, will give the keynote lecture "Health Equity in Times of a Pandemic". WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and German Federal Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger will give a welcome address by video. Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt Dr. Reiner Haseloff will speak in person.

The assembly's four expert sessions will look at social determinants of health, economic aspects relating to health, health systems research, as well as One Health, which examines the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. Speakers include Leopoldina members Prof. Dr. Gabriele Stangl, who will examine the pandemic of the overweight ("Globesity") from the perspective of nutrition, psychologist Prof. Dr. Jürgen Margraf, who will discuss social determinants of mental health, and microbiologist Prof. Dr. Seyed Hasnain, who will talk about India's experience dealing with the dual challenge posed to health by COVID-19 and tuberculosis.

Expert in veterinary medicine and microbiology and Leopoldina's Acting Senator of the Section Global Health Prof. Dr. Lothar H. Wieler, as well as Leopoldina members Prof. Dr. Susanne Hartmann, biologist and infection immunologist, and virologist Prof. Dr. Thomas C. Mettenleiter have taken on the scientific coordination of the Annual Assembly, and are also among the speakers. Lothar Wieler will discuss the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic for global health in the Inaugural Address. Dr. Johanna Hanefeld, Head of the Centre for International Health Protection at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, will give a lecture on "International Health Protection and Health Equity" on the evening of Friday 23 September.

The Annual Assembly will take place as a hybrid event. Media representatives who would like to attend the Annual Assembly are kindly asked to send an email to [email protected]. They are asked to indicate whether they would like to attend in person or online. Online participation is possible using the video conferencing platform Zoom. The Privacy Policy of Zoom applies while using the video conferencing platform: https://zoom.us/de-de/privacy. Interviews with the speakers can be arranged.

The event is open to all interested persons and is free. The link for mandatory registration until 11 September and the programme can be found here: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/events/event/event/2936/.

The Annual Assembly will also be streamed live on the Leopoldina's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/NationaleAkademiederWissenschaftenLeopoldina.

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