APAC Forum 2016 Brings Together Globally Renowned Healthcare Professionals from 30 Countries

Doha, Qatar, 19 September 2016

The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) recently participated in the 5th APAC Forum, which took place from 12th -  14th September in Sydney, Australia.  

The event provides an opportunity to learn from leaders of pioneering programmes making a tangible impact on patients and organisations around the world, and this year, the forum brought together nearly 1,500 leading minds from 30 different countries to discuss innovation within the healthcare industry. Through its participation in the forum, WISH has expanded its footprint in the crucial Asia-Pacific region, helping to fulfil its mission of influencing policy and improving healthcare globally.

The forum included two sessions featuring content based on WISH reports, with discussions during the event expanding on this research. The first session focused on co-designing care between clinicians and patients for safer care, exploring methods to build partnerships in order to improve care quality, safety and patient outcome. The second session on health communications focused on the ongoing lessons from the ICT revolution and consequences for healthcare communications around current problems such as vaccinations, disease prevention and public emergencies.

Susan Edgman-Levitan, Executive Director, Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation, Massachusetts General Hospital and Chair of the WISH 2013 Patient and Family Engagement Forum, co-presented at the first session with Stephanie Archer, Research Fellow at Imperial College London. Suzanne Suggs, Chair of the WISH 2015 Communicating Complex Health Messages Forum, presented at the second session.

Egbert Schillings, CEO of WISH, commented: "For the second year running, the APAC Forum has asked WISH to contribute research content and expertise to their annual conference. In its fifth year, it is now the third largest of its kind in the world and unites the global healthcare improvement community in new and exciting ways. It is testament to WISH's intellectual leadership and credibility to be a strategic partner to Ko Awatea and the entire Asia Pacific region."

By contributing to the APAC Forum 2016, WISH supported the efforts of Ko Awatea, the health system serving New Zealand's largest city, Auckland. Ko Awatea has proven to be a key strategic partner, as both an active member of the WISH community and a member of the Leading Health Systems Network (LHSN). LHSN is an initiative of WISH in partnership with Imperial College London. Since its establishment in 2009, LHSN has collaborated with 25 health systems from more than 12 countries to exchange knowledge among experts and discuss ways of making significant improvements in existing healthcare policies. Ko Awatea is also a partner to Qatar's Ministry of Public Health, which has drawn on the New Zealand-based organisation's best practices in creating integrated care in Qatar.

WISH, a global initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), is a meeting point for thousands of high-level policymakers, academics, and professionals. It has also evolved into a key platform for the dissemination of healthcare innovation and best practices.  The summit, which takes place 29th -  30th November, 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; emerging healthcare leaders under the age of 30, whose contributions to global health deserve wider recognition.

The WISH 2016 Summit will feature nine research papers that highlight and address some of the world's most pressing healthcare challenges, including Healthy Populations, Precision Medicine, Investing in Health, Accountable Care, Cardiovascular Disease, Autism, Behavioural Insights, Genomics in the Gulf Region and Islamic Ethics, and Healthcare Workforce. Internationally-renowned experts will chair the discussions. For the first time, WISH will also report on its impact, locally and globally, on issues previously highlighted at the conference, such as diabetes and patient safety.

For further information about WISH, please visit www.wish-qatar.org and Twitter @WISHQatar.

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For media enquiries about WISH, please contact:
Sonia Dinnick
WISH Communications Manager
Tel.: +974 4454 6483
Email: sdinnick@wish.org.qa

About the World Innovation Summit for Health
The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) is a global healthcare community dedicated to capturing and disseminating the best evidence-based ideas and practices. WISH is an initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) and is under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, its Chairperson.

The inaugural WISH Summit took place in Doha in 2013 and convened more than 1,000 global healthcare leaders. Through international summits and a range of on-going initiatives, WISH is creating a global community of leading innovators in healthcare policy, research and industry.

Together, they are harnessing the power of innovation to overcome the world's most urgent healthcare challenges and inspire other stakeholders to action.

Qatar Foundation - Unlocking Human Potential
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is a private, non-profit organisation that is supporting Qatar on its journey from a carbon economy to knowledge economy by unlocking human potential for the benefit of not only Qatar, but the world. Founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir of Qatar, QF is chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.

QF carries out its mission through three strategic pillars: education, science and research, and community development. QF's education pillar brings world-class universities to Qatar to help create an education sector in which young people can develop the attitudes and skills required for a knowledge economy. Meanwhile, its science and research pillar builds Qatar's innovation and technology capacity by developing and commercialising solutions through key sciences. Finally, its community development pillar helps foster a progressive society while also enhancing cultural life, protecting Qatar's heritage and addressing immediate social needs in the community.

For a complete list of QF's initiatives and projects, visit www.qf.org.qa

© Press Release 2016