Harvard University Marks ASEAN’s 50th Anniversary with Southeast Asian Health Forum
Prof. Jacqueline Babha, Dr. Peter Berman, and Prof. Stephane Verguet discuss access to universal health coverage in ASEAN (photos by NYPCG)
04 May 2017 NEW YORK – Harvard University marked the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with a Conference on “The Future of Health in Southeast Asia” held on April 28 at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. Over 150 participants attended the conference.
Organized by the Harvard Chan ASEAN Student Organization and the Harvard University Asia Center, the event featured public health experts and innovators clustered in several panel discussions.
The Conference aims to bring together Harvard faculty, students, researchers, and experts to examine the current health situation in Southeast Asia and looking towards the future health landscape for the region.
The panel topics focused on “Achieving Universal Health Coverage in Southeast Asia”, “Preparing ASEAN for Emerging Health Challenges”, and “Advancing ASEAN Health Through Technology and Innovation”.
The resource speakers included: Mr. Soonman Kwon, Chief of the Health Sector Group- Asian Development Bank (ADB), Prof. Peter Berman of the Harvard School of Public Health, Ms. Rebecca Black, Senior Associate of CSIS and former Mission Director for USAID Cambodia, Prof. Mary –Jo Del Vecchio Good of the Harvard Medical School, Prof. Jacqueline Babha of the Harvard School of Public Health, Mr. Marc Mitchell, Founder and President of D-International and Harvard Public Health Lecturer, and Mr. Farouk Meralli, Founder and CEO of mClinica,Inc.
The panels were moderated by Prof. Stephane Verguet, Mr. Sandeep Nanwani, and Dr. Katherine Morley.
The Conference was opened by Prof. Michele Williams, Dean of Faculty of the Harvard School of Public Health. Philippine Consul General Theresa Dizon-De Vega provided an overview of the Philippines ASEAN Chairmanship and the ASEAN Post 2015 Health Development Agenda (APHDA) and commended the initiative of the Harvard Chan ASEAN Student Organization led by its current President Filipino doctoral candidate Dr. Ramon Lorenzo Guinto for generating further interest in health concerns in the ASEAN region
The Keynote Address on the Future of Health in Southeast Asia was delivered by Mr. Soonman Kwon while the Closing Address dealt on Spirituality and Health for a Renewed ASEAN was given by Venerable Yong Seng Yeath from the Harvard Divinity School and Secretary-General of the Cambodian Inter-Faith Council.
The information sessions took stock of the challenges, successes, and prospects for health issues in ASEAN which was described in a 2011 Lancet series as a “microcosm of global health”. The experts also shared their findings on best practices in public health systems and health care access including technological innovation through case studies in Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Lao PDR.
For more information, visit www.newyorkpcg.dfa.gov.ph / www.newyorkpcg.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHConsulateNY. END