April 28, 2013
To:
APACPH President, Dr. Amin Jalaludin
APACPH Secretary-General, Dr. Watter Patrick
APACPH Director, Dr Maznah Dahlui
From:
APACPH Founding Dean. Or. Jerrold M. Michael
Dear Colleagues:
April 28, 2013
This is to bring you greeting from a global health colleague and congratulations for your leadership in the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health, Your efforts have brought your organization to a highly merited position as a leading academic organization in the promotion of global health in the Asia Pacific region and in the international health community at large.
As a founding Dean and Secretary – Treasurer of APACPH for over a decade I share in your commitment to the founding standard of the consortium – namely to extend the effectiveness of community medicine and public health through representation of the academic community in the health decision making process effecting the positive promotion of health for all.
In January of 1984, five deans of schools of public health from Asia and the Pacific came together on the island of Kauai in Hawaii to formally establish the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health. In addition to me from the University of Hawaii. the founders included Dr. Tien-Gen Wang of Beijing Medical University, Dr. Jane Baltazar of the University of the Philippines, Dr. Debhanom Muangman of Mahidol University in Thailand and Dr. Wai-on Phoon of the National University of Singapore. They were ably assisted in that process of global integration by the top international specialist at the University of Hawaii, Dr Walter Patrick, who has been a stalwart supporter of the Consortium from that point until the present – without interruption – a period of over 29 years !!
That group of five institutions in five nations grew in size over the first ten years of APACPH’s existence to a total 29 institutions in 15 nations. That number is now vastly expanded as has the scope of its activities and accomplishments. Singular among those accomplishments has been the growth of The Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health founded in 1987 and now continuing its historic work with its publication headquarters in Malaysia.
The work of the consortium has touched many lives and impacted the capacity of an incredible number of faculty members and students over the past 29 years. Those who have helped in that process from outside of the consortium have included parliamentarians from many countries including my own, including the efforts of Senators Ted Kennedy and Daniel Inouye, two of the most senior and influential members of the United States Senate. WHO Directors, heads of stale and royalty from many nations have contributed to the shaping of the progress of this incredible melding of academic leaders and it has added an element of social practicality to the consortium’s work.
In commenting on the progress of the consortium in an article I wrote for The Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health in 2005, chronicling the Consortium’s progress, I noted some future challenges or opportunities to be influential for the good of health enhancement. Those points are still relevant and I repeat them below:
“The Consortium’s calling or commitment is to shape rather than to await the future of health status improvement for our fellow citizens of the Asia-Pacific region.”
“To do that the Consortium and its members must be proactive rather than reactive; lead as well as collaborate; propose rather than conform; and take risks which lead to positive performance in the promotion of health. To achieve positive charge we should seek out the vital blood. As a non governmental organization, the consortium has an unparalleled opportunity for that kind of wholesome influence. The academic union does not have to wait to be invited – it can join the dialogue unfettered by normal diplomatic restrictions.”
The future is filled with opportunity!
Respectfully submitted:
Jerrold M. Michael Sc.D., Dr.P.H., D.E.E.
Assistant Surgeon General (Rear Admiral) USPHS
(Retired)
Emeritus Dean and Professor of Public Health
University of Hawaii and
Adjunct Faculty in Global Health
George Washington University
