To connect science, industry, and policy for a healthier world.

Participants

Every June the Pacific Health Summit convenes together leaders from science, industry, and policy to discuss how effective utilization of scientific advances can be combined with industrial innovation and appropriate policy in order to realize the dream of a healthier future.

Thematic Focus

The Summit's annual theme is carefully selected by the Executive Committee in order to build momentum and impact for an area of global health that would benefit from the Summit’s unique approach and contribution. In 2007, our theme was "Pandemics—Working Together for an Effective and Equitable Response.” This interest dates back to the inaugural Pacific Health Summit in June 2005, when Jong-wook Lee, the then-Director-General of the World Health Organization, eloquently and passionately addressed the need for greater attention on the threat of a global avian influenza pandemic. In 2008, our focus was "The Global Nutrition Challenge: Getting a Healthy Start," focusing on the complex challenge of too little of the right nutrition for vulnerable populations, the rapidly emerging health threat of too much of the wrong nutrition in both developed and developing societies, and the continuum between them.

In 2009, our Summit theme was “MDR-TB: Overcoming Global Resistance.” Over the course of two days, participants explored ways to strengthen existing approaches to basic TB control and MDR-TB management, and break through existing bottlenecks around technology development and treatment implementation in both developed and developing country health systems.

In 2010 the Summit theme will be maternal and newborn health. Please visit the Summit Focus page to learn more.

Geographical Focus

The vision for a Pacific Health Summit came out of a sense that what was happening in science and technology in Asia and the Pacific region could catalyze a transformation in healthcare from a reactive model to one based on prevention, early detection and early treatment of disease. Over the years this concept evolved and the Summit has expanded globally, focusing worldwide on innovation and opportunities, and recognizing that there are no borders around the human and financial cost of disease. At the same time, leaders in the science and technology field recognize our name and associate it with our annual gatherings as a place for them to connect and collaborate with the private sector and with policymakers. Though we have expanded beyond the Pacific, we will remain the Pacific Health Summit.

Location

The Pacific Health Summit has taken place in Seattle from 2005-2009. The 2010 Summit will be held in London, UK. The Summit will return to Seattle in 2011.

Organization

The Summit is co-presented by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), which serves as the Summit Secretariat.

Invitation and participation in the Pacific Health Summit is by invitation-only. Invited participants will receive invitation and registration instructions by email from Summit staff. For more information, please visit our FAQs page.