After more than 6 years and two terms, my time as Secretary-General of APACPH has ended. I am very proud to have been able to serve the APACPH membership, to work with Presidents; Professor, Dr Sohn Myongsei; Professor, Dr Masamine Jimba, and Professor, Dr Wah Yun Low, and all of the members of the Executive Council. The picture below is very symbolic for me as it shows those Presidents sitting front and centre, with the Secretary-General standing behind.
The role of the Secretary-General is more than the elements mentioned in the APACPH constitution. There have only been three Secretary Generals in the history of APACPH with the most influential being Professor Walter Patrick. When I watched Walter, I saw a man that was creative, supportive, compassionate and influential. He shaped the culture of APACPH, he included everyone, treating them like family and trying to get as many people as he could be involved in the organisation. He and my wonderful mentor Professor, Dr Colin Binns influenced me greatly and when I was elected to the role, I tried to continue the values they demonstrated.
One of the benefits of being Secretary-General is that you can take on special projects and I am pleased that I was able to bring the issue of planetary health to the organisation and to build APACPH’s capacity and reputation in the area of Oceans and Human Health.
When the role of Secretary-General was formalised in the APACPH constitution it was significant that in the discussion, the then President Masamine Jimba strongly expressed the need for the Secretary-General role to be supportive of but also separate from the President and for the role to be the conscience and historical memory of APACPH. I can think of no better person to take on the role of Secretary-General than Professor, Dr Indika Karunathilake, a mentee of Professor Walter Patrick and a long time serving Executive member. I wish him all the best in the role and look forward to seeing how he shapes the role and the special Secretary-General projects that he brings to the APACPH members.
Professor. Dr Bruce Maycock – Secretary-General of APACPH 2016-2021
PhD, M.Ed, GDip Bus (Man), B.P.E.
Honorary Professor, European Centre for Environment and Human Health,
College of Medicine and Health.
University of Exeter.
