WHS Opening Night

Join us for the WHS Opening Night, marking the official start of the World Health Summit. This special evening offers a unique opportunity for participants, panelists, and members of the WHS Academic Alliance to come together, connect, celebrate, and strengthen collaboration and friendship in global health.

The program will be hosted by Rosebella Iseme, Assistant Professor at The Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya, and Axel R. Pries, President of the World Health Summit. Together, they will open the WHS 2025 under this year’s leitmotif: “Taking Responsibility for Health in a Fragmenting World.”

The evening will feature a moderated discussion between Reem Alabali Radovan, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Priscilla Ama Addo, Junior Project Officer of Y+ Global and former National President of the Young Health Advocates Ghana, and Bernd Montag, CEO of Siemens Healthineers.

As is tradition, the Opening Night will also mark the transition of the WHS International Presidency between members of the WHS Academic Alliance organizing the annual WHS Regional Meetings. Following the very successful WHS Regional Meeting 2025 in New Delhi, Balvir S. Tomar, President of NIMS University, will hand over the baton to Lukoye Atwoli, Dean of the Medical College, The Aga Khan University Nairobi. We very much look forward to the upcoming WHS Regional Meeting 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya!

The welcome remarks of Heyo Kroemer, CEO of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and Carsten Schicker, CEO of the World Health Summit, will conclude the official program and open the Summit for an evening of exchange, music, and food.