APACPH Conference in Yonsei University, Incheon, South Korea 16-19 August 2017

The 49th APACPH conference was held at the Yonsei University’s International Campus to a great success. The annual event includes the APACPH Executive Council Meeting, the APACPH General Assembly, pre-conference workshops and the Conference. There were 745 people from 29 countries who attended the three days conference. The highest number of participants were from the host country, South Korea with 217 participants, this was followed by Indonesia with 185 participants, Thailand (58 participants), China (51 participants), Japan (46 participants), the Philippines (36 participants), Malaysia (31 participants), Chinese Taipei (29 participants), Sri Lanka (28 participants), and from many more countries.

There were five Young Investigator Travelers Award (YITA) for this year. The YITA provides funding to promising investigators to encourage and promote quality of research in public health and it is supported by APACPH. The winners for this year’s awards were Lihua Hu from Nanchang Universiti China, Chintha Rupasinghe from University of Colombo Sri Lanka, Sherly Saragih Turnip from University of Indonesia, Rajini Sooyanarana from Institute of Public Health Malaysia, and Jenalynne Mareah Chua from the University of the Philippines.

Besides the YITA awards, this year the organiser Yonsei University also provided funds to 10 promising researchers. The winners for the awards were Kavinda Dayasiri from University of Colombo Sri Lanka, Suda Hanklang from Vogchavalitkul University Nakhon Ratchasima Thailand, Antarini from Diponegoro University Indonesia, Kim Sarong from Silliman University the Philippines, Jatharasinghe Liyanage Saneetha Chathurika from University of Colombo Sri Lanka, Van Dat Nguyen from Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang Vietnam, Shanshan Li from Monash University China, Kenneth Lo from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Guiping Hu from Peking University China, and Bayu Anggileo Pramesona from Chulalongkorn University Thailand.

In the whole conference, there were two keynote address, the first was by Mr Ban Ki Moon from the Institute for Global Engagement and Empowerment, Yonsei University and also the 8th Secretary General of the United Nation, which spoke on the topic of Age of Shifting Paragiam – MDGs to SDGs. He stresses that public health should be at the centre of the SDGs, connecting all the other SDGs. Besides that, he also highlighted the paradigm of Global Public Health. The second keynote was on the last day given by Mr Young Soogil on The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

There were four plenary symposia with 27 speakers, 14 parallel symposia with 72 discussants, 16 oral sessions with 239 papers, 14 poster sessions with 190 papers, and five pre-conference workshops with seven facilitators. Many important and interesting topics were discussed, the plenary symposia touched in the GHSA, from parallel approaches toward integral mission, from MDGs to SDGs, UHC from selective fragmented approaches toward inclusive alliances, and from Analogue toward wave of the 4th Industrial Digital Revolution.

The parallel symposia topics include;

1. International Network of Health Promotion Foundations’ Strategy for Health Promotion and NCD prevention
2. Application of Medical ICT in strengthening Public Healthcare System
3. Bioethics and Law
4. Quality of services as the key to improve maternal, newborn, and child health in developing countries
5. Education for Health Experts in the SDG area
6. Global School Health Promotion
7. Health Among Migrants in China
8. Improved Nutrition and Food Security for Sustainable Development
9. Vunerable Workers and Occupational Health in Asia
10. Tobacco Control
11. ICUH Development Strategy Workshop
12. Green Hospital Progress in Asia
13. Glonal Health ODA
14. Dietary Supplements and Public Health

The conference also saw some very good oral and poster presentations, the outstanding presenters for oral and poster were presented with certificates and prize monies.

The list of outstanding oral presenters:

1. Frances Evangeline Vista from the University of the Philippines
2. Ajchara Seeya from Mahidol University
3. Thilini Agampodi from Rajarata University of Sri Lanka
4. Nam Tran from the Institute for Social Science Research
5. Sattamat Lappharat from Chulalongkom University
6. Indira Rezki Wahyuni from University of Indonesia
7. Xiao fei Nie from Wuhan University
8. Kenneth Lo from the Chinese University
9. Mohammad Hasnat from School of Medicine and Public Health
10. Naruemon Auemaneekul from Mahidol University
11. Mi Hee Noh from Korea University
12. Kimiyo Kikuchi from Kyushu University
13. Amiel Nazer Bermudez from University of the Philippines
14. Chiyoung Hwang from Kyoto University School of Public Health
15. Sophia de Chavez from University of the Philippines
16. Chunlan Guo from the Chinese University of Hong Kong
17. Kavinda Dayasiri from University of Colombo

The list of outstanding poster presenters:

1. Sai Vaibhav Devarapalli from Mahatma Gandhi Medical College, Punducherry
2. Yves Miel Zuniga from the University of the Philippines
3. Hyun Jin Kim from the Catholic University of Korea
4. Sol Lee from Korea University
5. Hedaya Alblewi from King Salman Armed Forces Hospital Tabuk
6. Hazanuddin Ishak from Hasanuddin University
7. Ji Hyun Yang from Yonsei University
8. Noer Bahry Noor from Hazanuddin University
9. Wiam Rigati from University of Indonesia
10. Yu-Chin Hsu from China Medical University
11. Richard Christoffe Reyes from the University of the Philippines
12. Kyi Mar Wai from University of Tokyo
13. Tsai Chin-Chuan from I-Shou University
14. Boonma Soontaraviratana from Naresuan University
15. Reni Suhelmi from Hasanuddin University
16. Shiao-Ying Jung from Beitou District Health Center, Taipei City
17. Van Rooyen Belinda from King Salman Armed Forces Hospital Tabuk
18. Jin Young Nam from Yonsei University

Here are some highlights from the conference, more pictures are available from