LEADERSHIP

Presidents

Adnan Ali HyderAdnan HyderInternational President 2023 Senior Associate Dean for Research
Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University
United States of America
Axel Radlach PriesAxel R. PriesWorld Health Summit President Dean (until 2022)
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Germany

Management

Carsten SchickerCarsten Schicker Managing Director
World Health Summit

Founding President

Detlev GantenDetlev GantenChairman of the Board of Trustees World Health Summit
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Germany

Council

The World Health Summit Council advises in major strategic aspects concerning the WHS main conferences, other events and products as well as in the development of the WHS Community and the global, regional and national positioning of the WHS.

Co-Chairs

Foto: Ilona KickbuschIlona Kickbusch Founding Director, Global Health Center, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies | University of Geneva
Switzerland
Elhadj As SyElhadj As Sy Chair of the Board, Kofi Annan Foundation
Switzerland

Members

Ricardo Baptista Leite
UNITE - Parliamentarians Network for Global Health

Christoph Benn
The Joep Lange Institute 

Umej Bhatia
Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations Office in Geneva

Mukul Bhola
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

Catharina Böhme
World Health Organization (WHO)

Jagan Chapagain
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Francesca Colombo
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Thomas B. Cueni
International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA)

Manfred Dietel
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Garth Graham 
Google Health

Lisa Heinrich
Wellcome Trust

David Humphreys
Economist Impact

Chikwe Ihekweazu
World Health Organization (WHO)

Tobias Kahler
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Neema Kaseje
Surgical Systems Research Group & Lodwar County Referral Hospital

Stefan Kaufmann
Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology

Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti
World Health Organization (WHO)

Bernd Montag
Siemens Healthineers

Eamonn Murphy
UNAIDS

Ole Petter Ottersen
Karolinska Institutet

Magda Robalo
Institute for Global Health and Development

Liam Smeeth
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Andrew Ullmann
German Parliament, Subcommittee for Global Health

Lothar Wieler
Hasso Plattner Institute

Andrea Winkler
Technical University of Munich

Scientific Committee

The World Health Summit Scientific Committee ensures the highest quality and actuality of the WHS program. It provides valuable advice and input in all global health and life sciences related matters which are relevant to the WHS conference and program.

Co-Chairs

Stefan KaufmannStefan Kaufmann Director Emeritus, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology
Germany
Carlos SantosCarlos Santos Chairman of the Board of Directors, Coimbra Hospital and University Center
Portugal

Members

Till BärnighausenTill Bärnighausen Director, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health
Germany
Elizabeth BlackburnElizabeth Blackburn Nobel Prize laureate (2009) / President Emerita, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
USA
Thomas B. CueniThomas B. Cueni Director General, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA)
Switzerland
Christian DrostenChristian Drosten Director, Institute of Virology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Germany
Bärbel-Maria KurthBärbel-Maria Kurth Director, Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute
Germany
Thomas MettenleiterThomas Mettenleiter President, Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
Germany
Maike SanderMaike Sander Director, Pediatric Diabetes Research Center, UC San Diego
USA
Günter StockGünter Stock President, ALLEA - All European Academies
Germany

Ambassadors

The World Health Summit Ambassadors are appointed to personally represent the World Health Summit around the world in order to communicate its cause, widen its network, consolidate its structure and strengthen its impact.

Photo: Ayoade AlakijaAyoade Alakija Special Envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator), World Health Organization (WHO)
Edelgard BulmahnEdelgard Bulmahn Federal Minister of Education and Research (until 2005)
Germany
Manfred DietelManfred Dietel Director (until 2016), Institute of Pathology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Germany
Alexander Hewer Chief Financial Officer, Vivantes Netzwerk für Gesundheit GmbH
Germany
Eckart von HirschhausenEckart von Hirschhausen Physician, Science Journalist and Founder, Healthy Planet - Healthy People Foundation
Germany
Michael RabbowMichael Rabbow Senior Advisor, E&P Focus Africa Consulting
Germany
Heinz RiedererHeinz Riederer Managing Director, iNG innovation. Nachhaltigkeit. Gesundheit
Germany
Reinhardt SchäfersReinhard Schäfers German Ambassador (until 2015)
Germany
Ansgar TietmeyerAnsgar Tietmeyer Head of Public Affairs (until 2017), Deutsche Bank AG
Germany
Charles YankahCharles Yankah Chairman, Afrika Kulturinstitut e.V.
Germany

Former International Presidents

The annual International President of the World Health Summit is provided by the M8 Alliance on a rotating basis.

Eugenio Gaudio2022Eugenio Gaudio Rector (until 2020)
Sapienza University of Rome
Italy
Foto: Luciano Saso2022Luciano Saso Vice-Rector for European University Networks
Sapienza University
Italy
Charles Ibingira2020 & 2021Charles Ibingira Principal (until 2020)
Makerere University College of Health Sciences
Uganda
Ali Jafarian2019Ali Jafarian Chancellor (until 2017)
Tehran University of Medical Sciences
Iran
João Gabriel Silva2018João Gabriel Silva Rector (until 2019)
University of Coimbra
Portugal
Fernando Regateiro2018Fernando Regateiro Chairman of the Board of Directors (until 2020)
Coimbra University Hospitals
Portugal
Hélène Boisjoly2017Hélène Boisjoly Dean (until 2020)
Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal
Canada
Antoine Flahault2016Antoine Flahault Director
Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva
Switzerland
 Shunichi Fukuhara2015Shunichi Fukuhara Dean (until 2016)
School of Public Health, Kyoto University
Japan
José Otávio Auler, Dean, University of São Paulo Faculty of Medicine2014José Otávio Costa Auler Jr. Dean (until 2018)
Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo
Brazil
Portrait of John Wong2013John Eu-Li Wong Chief Executive
National University Health System
Singapore
Michael J. Klag2012Michael J. Klag Dean (until 2017)
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
USA
Foto: Steve Wesselingh2011Steve Wesselingh Dean (until 2011)
Monash University, Melbourne
Australia
Stephen K. Smith2010Stephen K. Smith Pro Rector Health (until 2011)
Imperial College London
United Kingdom
Axel Kahn2009Axel Kahn Dean (until 2011)
Sorbonne Paris Cité
France