Mission
To connect science, industry, and policy for a healthier world.
Participants
Every June the Pacific Health Summit convenes 250 leaders from science, industry, and policy to discuss how effective utilization of scientific advances can be combined with industrial innovation and appropriate policy in order to realize the dream of a healthier future.
Thematic Focus
The Summit's annual theme is carefully selected by the Executive Committee in order to build momentum and impact for an area of global health that would benefit from the Summit's unique approach and contribution. In 2007, our theme was "Pandemics—Working Together for an Effective and Equitable Response.†This interest dates back to the inaugural Pacific Health Summit in June 2005, when Jong-wook Lee, the then-Director-General of the World Health Organization, eloquently and passionately addressed the need for greater attention on the threat of a global avian influenza pandemic. In 2008, our focus was "The Global Nutrition Challenge: Getting a Healthy Start," focusing on the complex challenge of too little of the right nutrition for vulnerable populations, the rapidly emerging health threat of too much of the wrong nutrition in both developed and developing societies, and the continuum between them.
In 2009, our Summit theme was "MDR-TB: Overcoming Global Resistance." Over the course of two days, participants explored ways to strengthen existing approaches to basic TB control and MDR-TB management, and break through existing bottlenecks around technology development and treatment implementation in both developed and developing country health systems.
In 2010, the Summit theme was "Maternal and Newborn Health: The Crux of a Decent Humanity." The Summit will focus on vaccines in 2011.
Please visit the Summit theme page to learn more information.
Geographical Focus
The vision for a Pacific Health Summit came out of a sense that what was happening in science and technology in Asia and the Pacific region could catalyze a transformation in healthcare from a reactive model to one based on prevention, early detection and early treatment of disease. Over the years this concept evolved and the Summit has expanded globally, focusing worldwide on innovation and opportunities, and recognizing that there are no borders around the human and financial cost of disease. At the same time, leaders in the science and technology field recognize our name and associate it with our annual gatherings as a place for them to connect and collaborate with the private sector and with policymakers. Though we have expanded beyond the Pacific, we will remain the Pacific Health Summit.
Please visit the here to see a list of countries represented at past Summits.
Location and schedule
The Pacific Health Summit takes place every June. Seattle has been the venue for the first five Summits. It is the city where the Summit was initially conceptualized, and it is home to a deep global health community and a large number of truly global companies. While Seattle will continue to be one of our venues, we have listened to feedback from participants who requested we consider other locations. In an effort to globalize the Summit, starting in 2010 we will rotate the annual gathering between Seattle and London. The home of our co-presenting partner, Wellcome Trust, London was the natural selection. Additionally, London provides us with a central hub for participants attending from around the globe.
In 2010, the Summit was held in London, UK for the first time. The Summit will return to Seattle in 2011 and take place in London in 2012.
Invitations and Participation
Participation in the Pacific Health Summit is by invitation–only. Invited participants will receive invitation and individual registration instructions by email from Summit staff. Each year, the Summit Secretariat carefully canvases the landscape of innovators and leaders at all levels in the fields most relevant to our theme to search for individuals who implement unique approaches, offer a new voice, and have the ability to reach across sectors. While we aim for broad geographical representation, our primary focus is on identifying unique individuals who have the motivation, energy, and resources to collaborate with others in order to make a significant impact as well as those in the trenches making critical things happen every day. One of our guiding principles is that the business sector has a role to play in discussions and activities that will transform global health.
The Summit deliberately maintains a select and distinct number of participants to foster the intimate atmosphere that allows individuals to make personal connections and build foundations for long-term, relationships. These relationships that begin at the Summit have had a monumental impact on global health. We also strive to feature leaders and “movers and shakers†who are not traditionally featured at other events in order to bring new voices to the table. An invitation to one Pacific Health Summit does not guarantee an invitation to subsequent Summits in order to support our goal of bringing new voices, people, and ideas into the conversation each year.
For more information, please visit our FAQs page.
Co-Presenting Organizations
The National Bureau of Asian Research
The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan institution that conducts advanced research on policy-relevant issues in Asia. It also serves as the global clearinghouse for Asian research conducted by specialists and institutions worldwide. Through these activities NBR is uniquely positioned to promote informed and effective U.S. policy toward the region. NBR has served as the Secretariat to the Pacific Health Summit since its inception.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, established in 1975, is one of the world’s leading cancer-research institutes. The Hutchinson Center’s interdisciplinary teams of scientists conduct research in the laboratory, at patient bedside, and in communities throughout the world to advance the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases. Center researchers pioneered bone-marrow transplantation for leukemia and other blood diseases. This research has cured thousands of patients worldwide and has boosted survival rates for certain forms of leukemia from zero to as high as 85 percent. The Hutchinson Center is home to three recipients of the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, including the Center’s president and director, Lee Hartwell, PhD, who received the honor in 2001 for his discoveries regarding the mechanisms that control cell division.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, we focus on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, we seek to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the Foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-Chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
The Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is the largest biomedical research charity in the UK with the mission to foster and promote research with the aim of improving human and animal health. It funds innovative biomedical research, spending over £500 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust devotes a significant proportion of its funds to research conducted outside the UK and covers a broad range of activities that support global health research. It also supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing.
For more information on Summit leadership, please visit Summit leadership page.