The highly anticipated Precision Public Health Asia 2023 Conference (PPHA 2023) kicked off with a resounding focus on digital health technologies and their role in transforming population health from 13 to 14 July 2023 at the Centre for Healthcare Innovation.
Co-organized by the School and Precision Public Health Asia Society, the event brought together over 500 distinguished speakers and delegates from more than 19 countries in the region. It was a vibrant platform for stakeholders from both public and private sectors to discuss best practices on how precision public health interventions are being developed, implemented and financed today, and explore the gaps in these areas.
Themed “Advancing Precision Public Health in Asia and Beyond – The Future is Now,” the conference discussed topics such as responsible data-sharing practices, precision public health financing, innovations in digital health and applications of artificial intelligence (AI).
“Meetings and networks such as this conference provides an important opportunity for scientists, policy makers, international donors and philanthropists, as well as NGOs and civil societies, from different countries, different parts of the world, to come together again, to relook, restore, and hopefully reinvigorate alliances and partnerships.” said Dean, Professor Teo Yik Ying, in his welcome address.
The conference commenced with an insightful opening address by Singapore’s Minister for Health, Mr Ong Ye Kung. Emphasizing the importance of this event, he highlighted how precision public health has gained significance as Singapore emerges from the pandemic and enters the Healthier SG era. Mr Ong said, “The convergence of digitalisation, big data, wearables and AI, means that we can collect and analyse data, and influence population behavior more than before. Public or population health is at the cusp of a promising revolution.”
Assistant Professor Clive Tan, Chairman of the Precision Public Health Asia 2023 Conference Organising Committee and a founding member of the Precision Public Health Asia Society, elaborated on the core principles of precision public health.
He said, “Precision public health aims to improve the health system and advance population health goals by adopting public health principles, such as tailoring interventions to the specific needs of individuals and communities, using technology such as digital health, big data and precision medicine to identify and address health disparities and prevent disease.”
The conference saw many global thought leaders from both public and private sectors share their insights through four main plenary sessions and various breakout sessions amongst others. We were honored to have Dato Dr Isham Jaafar, Minister of Health, Brunei Darussalam grace the event as well.
Conference programme tracks included:
- Big Data Analytics, AI and Data Sharing
- Digital Health
- Precision Medicine
- Population Health
- Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Precision Public Health
In the Day 1 plenary session entitled “Plenary: Precision Public Health – Paying for the Roads, the Buses and the Fancy Sports Cars”, Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, Director of the Leadership Institute for Global Health Transformation at NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, shed valuable insights on how we can effectively invest in precision public health.
We were delighted to have Prof Tan Chorh Chuan, Chief Health Scientist, Ministry of Health, Singapore; Executive Director, MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation, speak at the Day 2 plenary session entitled “Precision Public Health in 2040”. Prof Tan shared with us his vision and thought leadership on how Precision Public Health’s trajectory will pan out into the next decade and positively impact the health of our populations.
As the curtains for PPHA 2023 draw to a close, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all speakers, sponsors, supporting organisations and media partners who made this conference a success. In addition, we are excited to announce that the next conference in this series will be hosted by Monash University Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur in July 2025.
As the world stands at the cusp of a new era in public health, we hope that PPHA 2023 acted a beacon of knowledge and innovation, propelling Asia and beyond towards a healthier and more equitable future.
Find out about precision public health at pphasia.com. View more photos on Facebook.
Missed the conference? Download the conference report here:
Media Coverage:
- Healthier SG care plans will be more personalised over time with use of apps: Ong Ye Kung, 13 July 2023
- Tan Chorh Chuan: Three areas to work on to achieve precision public health goals, Zaobao Online, 15 July 2023
- Forum: Savings from personalised health plans will come over time, The Straits Times, 19 July 2023
- Facial scanning could be key to diagnosing rare diseases, The Straits Times, 31 July 2023