55th APACPH Conference 2024: Highlights from Busan, Korea

The 55th Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) Conference took place in Busan, Korea from October 23-25, 2024, at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO). Hosted by the Korean Association of Schools of Public Health (KASP) and organized by APACPH-KOREA, the conference ran in parallel with The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine. The theme of the conference was “Public Health: Shifting Paradigm for Future Society and Community”.  This year’s conference emphasized the critical need for innovative public health strategies to address pandemics, emerging diseases, and evolving societal challenges.

The event included a pre-conference workshop on the 22 October 2025 and post-conference workshop on the 26 October 2024.

Pre-Conference Workshops

• Health Law and Ethics: Focused on a comparison of no-fault compensation systems in obstetrics and gynecology across Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
• Systematic Reviews in Public Health: Provided guidance on undertaking systematic reviews, covering core principles and key steps.
• Mentoring and Networking: Facilitated exchanges among young scholars and offered valuable mentorship opportunities through the APACPH Early Career Network (ECN).
• Health and Migration: Explored a global research agenda to address the determinants of health for migrants, refugees, and displaced populations, in collaboration with ANISE, MINNA, and JAGH.

Welcome Messages

• Byungyool Jun (President of KASP, Chair of APACPH 2024): Highlighted the importance of innovative strategies for responding to future pandemics and Disease “X,” referencing WHO pandemic Hubs and the 100-day mission for rapid vaccine manufacturing.
• So Yoon Kim (President of APACPH): Emphasized the need for a paradigm shift to prepare for future public health challenges, including communicable and non-communicable diseases.
• Young Seoub Hong (Chairman of the board, The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine): Underscored the importance of sharing methods for handling difficulties and discussing health systems, policies, and research findings across Asianic countries.

Keynote Speakers and Plenary Sessions

• Wah Yun Low (Universiti Malaya): Delivered the Walter Patrick Memorial Speech on “Building Resilience in Times of Crisis,” emphasizing strategies for individuals and families to cope with adversity, drawing from her extensive research in behavioral medicine, mental health, and sexual and reproductive health.
• Ganglip Kim (Yonsei University): Discussed “COVID-19 and Safer Future,” stressing preparedness, international cooperation, and equitable access to vaccines and therapeutics.

Talk Concert: Healthcare in an Uncertain Future

This session featured a forward-thinking dialogue on the role of healthcare in preparing for an uncertain future, including consideration of technological risks, genomics integration, and sustainable healthcare policies. Key topics included identifying future public health issues, their impact on the public health vision, and actionable steps toward realizing this new vision.

Speakers: Hung-Yi Chiou (National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan), Seong-ji Kang (WELT Corporation, Korea), Yann Joly (McGill University, Canada), Gilbert M Burnham (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA), Hyun-Young Park (National Institute of Health, Korea), and Laura Magana (Global Network for Academic Public Health (GNAPH), USA).

Panel Discussions

A series of panel discussions covered a wide array of public health topics, including:

• Health Promotion & Education: Focused on empowering communities through health advocacy, health literacy, and community resilience (Moderator: Betty Ya Wen CHIU)
• Communicable Diseases: Explored strategies to prepare for future pandemics, drawing from experiences with COVID-19 (Moderator: Whiejong Matthew Han). Example: Regional development and equitable distribution of vaccines against disease emerging Pandemic in India: Responses and way ahead by Dr. Sonali Kar.
• Patient Safety & Health: Addressed international trends in patient safety, with a focus on infection control in Korea (Chair: Myung-il Hahm).
• Health Equity: Focused on addressing migrant health challenges for better access to health services in Asian countries.
• Medical Ethics: Explored the issues of distributive justice in aging societies (Chair: Ivo Kwon).
• Climate Change & Air Pollution: Explored the impacts of climate change on infectious diseases, addressing global health threats, including a keynote speech by Dr. Rok-Ho Kim (Virtual).
• Aging & Health: Discussed social support systems for older adults with disabilities (Moderator: Sang Sook Beck).
• Future Vision of Public Health: Discussed human resources development for the future of public health, as well as the role of public health in preparing for future societies.
• Chemicals & Urban-Rural Environment Focused on Chronic Health Damage of Humidifier Disinfects (Moderator: Dong-wook Lee)
• Social Prescribing Trend in Asia Focused on the trends of social prescribing practices in countries such as South Korea, China, and Japan.
• Disability & Health Focused on international cooperation projects related to the visually impaired and other disabled people.
• Medial Law Focused on the legal aspects of the Physician Assistant system in Korea
• Curriculum Development in School of Public Health (SPH) Focused on the experiences of each institution related to non-face-to-face education.

Awards

The conference recognized outstanding contributions to public health through several awards:

• Professor Kazue K McLaren Leadership Achievement Award: This prestigious award is presented to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting public health and improving the quality of life in their communities, in line with the legacy of Professor McLaren. Awardees: Byung-Joo Park, Byungyool Jun.
• APACPH Public Health Recognition Award: This award honors individuals who have excelled as both educators and practitioners in public health, serving as role models and guiding other health professionals with distinction throughout their careers. Awardees: Young Moon Chae, Young Seoub Hong, Seok-Jun Yoon.
• APACPH Excellence in Leadership Medallion: The APACPH Excellence in Leadership Medallion recognizes leaders within legislative bodies whose actions have significantly influenced the health of the public. Awardees: Ganglip Kim, Eunkyeong Jeong.
• APACPH Medal of Merit: The Medal of Merit recognizes persons who have performed outstanding service consistent with the APACPH mission of enhancing professional education for public health. Awardees: Agustin Kusumayati, Betty Ya-Wen Chiu, Elahe Nezami.
• Young Investigator Travel Awards (YITA): Supporting promising investigators in conducting high-quality research. Awardees: Noer Syafiiah Tiarma, July Khin Maung Soe, Hendra Goh, Ulfi Hida Zainita, Rizka Lailatul Rohmah, Rita Adhikari, Muhamad Sahiddin, Vo Thi Hue Man, Neerodha Kithminie Dharmasoma, Osuni Nisalya Amarasinghe.
• Grant Program: Supporting promising researchers in conducting excellent public health research. Awardees: Tadpong Tantipanjaporn, Syarifah Aqilah, Puspita Alwi, Maria Novembrina Dewi Embun Pramana, Sreymom Oy, Rahman Md Mahfuzur, Muhammad Darwish Asyraf Mohd Isa, Azie Nur Auni Binti Shbini, Khulan Gansukh, Gisti Respati Riyanti

Additional Highlights

• Welcome Dinner: Jointly hosted with the Korean Society for Preventive Medicine (KSPM).
• Opening and Closing Ceremonies: Included awards presentations, summaries of the conference’s key discussions, and an introduction to the 56th APACPH. The closing ceremony also included the Best Oral and Poster Presentation Awards, Young Investigator Traveller Awards (YITA), Grant Program Awards and Photo Competition.
• Exhibition: Featuring sponsors, including the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Samsung Electronics, and the Busan Tourism Organization.

Post-Conference Workshop (October 26th)

• A workshop on “Writing a Public Health Paper and Journal Management,” aimed at enhancing publication skills with a focus on the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health (APJPH), with keynote speaker, Prof Dr Wah Yun Low and Emeritus Prof. Dr. Colin Binns.