meet speakers

Meet our keynote speakers

Meet our keynote speakers 1905 916 WCPH

From China, South Africa, Canada, Afghanistan, United Kingdom, United States, Switzerland, and Brazil, this incredibly talented group of professionals are ready to guide you through all the upcoming challenges for public Health.

Trailblazers, innovators, academics, leaders, and visionaries. They all have solid experience in their fields of expertise, with recognized contributions to health policy. Now, they’re ready to share their voice and put their vision into action.

Here’s the list of WCPH 2023 keynote speakers, and their plenary session topics.



For the Plenary: Planetary Health and Public Health
Our keynote speakers will be:

  • Dr. Samuel Myers
    Principal Research Scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health
    Director of the Planetary Health Alliance United States
  • Dr. Maria Neira
    WHO Director for the Department of Environmental, Climate Change and Health – Switzerland



For the Plenary: Social, economic and political determinants of health and health equity
Our keynote speaker will be:

  • Dr. Alejandro R. Jadad
    MD DPhil FRCPC FCAHS FRSA LLD – Canada



For the Plenary: Digital health, health information and Artificial Intelligence
Our keynote speakers will be:

  • Dr. Catherine Kyobotungi
    Executive Director of the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) – Kenia
  • Dr. Agostino Sibillo
    CEO Software Research and Development Holding Spychatter Inc. – United States



For the Plenary: COVID-19: The Ongoing Challenge, Lessons Learnt and How to Prevent the Next Pandemic
Our keynote speaker will be:

  • Dr. Zijian Feng
    Secretary General and Executive Vice President of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association –China



For the Plenary: Mental health and social wellbeing
Our keynote speakers will be:

  • Dr. Rosana Onocko-Campos
    Full professor at the State University of Campinas – Brazil
  • Dr. Adrian Te-Patu
    Chair of the Indigenous Working Group of the World Federation of Public Health Associations – New Zealand



For the Plenary: Vaccine preventable diseases and Vaccine confidence
Our keynote speakers will be:

  • Dr. Heidi J. Larson
    Director of The Vaccine Confidence Project – United Kingdom
  • Dr. Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele
    Former Director of the Vaccines and Immunization Department, WHO – Congo 



For the Plenary: Skills and capacity for health improvement: growing the global public health workforce
Our keynote speakers will be:

  • Dr. Mehreen Hunter
    University of Cape Town – South Africa
  • Dr. Laura Magaña
    President and CEO of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health – USA
  • Dr. Martin McKee
    CBE MD DSc MSc FRCP(Lond) FRCP (Edin) FRCPI FFPH MAE FMedSci – United Kingdom



For the Plenary: Conflict and public health: prevention, responses, recovery, rehabilitation, reconciliation
Our keynote speaker will be:

  • Dr. Wahid Majrooh
    Former Minister of Public Health of Afghanistan – Afghanistan

To know more about our keynote speakers, their biographies and accomplishments, visit the keynote speakers’ section.