New WHS Academic Alliance-Lancet Commission on Academic Responsibility for Trust in Science and Societal Change announced
The World Health Summit (WHS) Academic Alliance and The Lancet announced a new joint Commission on Academic Responsibility today. Against the backdrop of increasing political pressure on scientific evidence and academic institutions, the WHS Academic Alliance–Lancet Commission on Academic Responsibility for Trust in Science and Societal Change will assess and strengthen the value of academic institutions to society, build greater public trust, and support their contributions to society.
In its announcement commentary in The Lancet, the Commission sets out the role of academia in an increasingly difficult political and societal environment:
"Universities and academic institutions are indispensable pillars of the modern world, and have been an integral part of societies over centuries. However, academia’s relation to society and the core responsibilities of universities are continuously negotiated. […] Independent evidence based on critical inquiry, diverse disciplinary perspectives, and scientific rigour enables academia to contest cultural, economic, political, and global systems and speak truth to power. This independent evidence-based authority may be perceived as a threat by authoritarian systems, leading them to suppress or threaten the freedom of academic ecosystems, both historically and in the present day."
The work of the Commission
The Commission consists of a diverse group of 30 interdisciplinary experts based across 22 countries and territories. In four working groups, the Commission will
analyze the foundation and implications of academic responsibility in historical, local, and contemporary contexts;
outline requirements for the design of responsible institutions of the future; and
define responsible and practice-based approaches for the interaction of academic institutions with societies.
The Commission's final report is expected in 2028.
The Commissioners
The Commission includes:
Coordinating Chair
Axel R. Pries, WHS President and Chair of the WHS Academic Alliance Executive Committee, Germany
Co-Chairs
Sabina Faiz Rashid, BRAC University, Bangladesh
Rhoda Wanyenze, Makerere University, Uganda
Other Members of the Steering Committee
Adnan Hyder, Boston University, United States
Ilona Kickbusch, WHS Council Co-Chair and Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Switzerland
Sabine Kleinert, The Lancet
Commissioners
Valérie Amiraux, Université de Montréal, Canada
Hiram V. Arroyo, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
Bachera Aktar, BRAC University, Bangladesh
Chang-Chuan Chan, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Julie Chen, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Patricia Davidson, University of New South Wales, Australia
Fernando de la Hoz Restrepo, National University of Colombia, Colombia
Sapna Desai, Population Council Institute, India
Seydou Doumbia, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technology of Bamako, Mali
Catherine Gathu, The Aga Khan University Medical College, East Africa, Kenya
Abdul Ghaffar, AKU Karachi, Pakistan
Biljana Gjoneska, Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, North Macedonia
Sofia Gruskin, University of Southern California, United States
Philip C. Hill, University of Otago, New Zealand
Yangmu Huang, Peking University, China
Ali Jafarian, Tehran University of Medical Science, Iran
Cristiani Machado, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Brazil
Laura Magaña, Global Network for Academic Public Health (GNAPH), United States
Yodi Mahendradhata, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
Melissa Miles, Monash University, Australia
Elizabeth Molloy, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Christine Ngaruiya, Stanford School of Medicine, United States
Sanjay Pattanshetty, NIMS University, India
Nelson Sewankambo, Makerere University, Uganda
Abla Sibai, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Yik Ying Teo, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Cherian Varghese, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India
Tracey Weissgerber, University of Coimbra, Portugal
Meetings of the Commission have been and will be hosted by Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India, the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong, China, and Coimbra Health in Portugal over the next two years.
About the WHS Academic Alliance
The WHS Academic Alliance (formerly M8 Alliance) is the scientific network of the World Health Summit, bringing together 30 leading academic institutions from all continents. Founded by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in 2009, the Alliance fosters international collaboration, connects the scientific community to inform global health agendas, and supports evidence-based health policy and practice.
Press Contact
World Health Summit Communications Team
communications@worldhealthsummit.org