APACPH Successfully Concludes 40th Annual Conference in Kuala Lumpur

The Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) successfully held its 40th Annual Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from November 7-9, 2008. This followed the unforeseen cancellation of the conference in its original location of Hanoi, Vietnam, due to circumstances involving the World Health Organization Vietnam and the Vietnam Ministry of Health. APACPH extends its sincere gratitude to the University of Malaya for stepping in as host at short notice. The APACPH leadership acknowledged that the Hanoi School of Public Health was not responsible for the cancellation and greatly appreciated the University of Malaya’s efforts to ensure the conference proceeded.

Despite the change in venue, the conference continued its focus on important global public health challenges. Nearly 300 participants from over 25 countries, representing APACPH’s network of 64 member universities across 20 countries, attended the event. The conference provided a valuable platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange among public health professionals, researchers, and policymakers.

APACPH is proud to acknowledge the significant contributions of the University of Malaya, specifically the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, the Medical Education and Research Development Unit, the Medical Faculty, and the Dental Faculty, in hosting this successful conference.

A highlight of the conference was the presentation of the prestigious APACPH Public Health Recognition Award to Professor Tan Sri Datu Dr Haji Mohamad Taha Arif, and the Kazue McLaren Leadership Achievement Award to Professor Dato’ Dr. Mohd Amin Jalaludin.

During the conference, participants collectively affirmed the fundamental principle that health is a basic human right. They declared a commitment to collaborative action across universities, communities, and government bodies to:

• Improve the health of vulnerable communities.
• Address critical challenges in public health education, including oral health, child and family health, disaster and public health response, and disease prevention.
• Promote peace and harmony as essential foundations for achieving health in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Emphasize the importance of social engineering, community participation, and structural changes aligned with primary health care principles, especially during times of economic crisis and environmental challenges.

APACPH reaffirms its commitment to working with its members and partners to achieve these objectives, furthering its mission to advance public health education, research, and practice across the Asia-Pacific region.

During the conference,  Early Career Network (ECN) of the Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) also organised the “REFLECTIONS” Photography Competition 2008.

Here are the winners of the photography competition.