Leopoldina news 3_2022 | Page 4

4 3 / 2022 // LEOPOLDINA / NEWS

“ Health issues must be considered in all areas of politics ”

Leopoldina member Lothar H . Wieler on global health , the theme of this year ’ s Annual Assembly
Global health focuses on transnational challenges , such as the health effects of climate change . As set out in the third United Nations Sustainable Development Goal , the aim of global health is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all .
Image : Feodora | AdobeStock
The Leopoldina Annual Assembly on Friday , 23 and Saturday , 24 September will shine the spotlight on global health , which is a concept that has gained greater signifi cance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic . But , according to Lothar H . Wieler ML – who prepared the programme for the event together with Susanne Hartmann ML and Thomas C . Mettenleiter ML – global health is about much more than pandemic preparedness .
What are the premises behind global health ? Lothar H . Wieler : Global health can be described as an interdisciplinary field working to improve human health
“ The objective of global health is to minimise social , economic and environmental risks to health .”
Lothar H . Wieler , Member of the Leopoldina
worldwide and to promote equal health opportunities for everyone . This is how my friend , the physician and epidemiologist Jeffrey Koplan , a former director of the US public health agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ), defined it a few years ago . Instead of focusing on the individual , an important principle of global health is therefore to concentrate on transnational challenges , such as the health effects of climate change . In doing so , we can all learn from each other . The third United Nations Sustainable Development Goal , which strives to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for everyone , also sums up the idea and mission behind global health very well .
One of the speakers at the Annual Assembly will be epidemiologist Mike Ryan , the Executive Director of the Health Emergencies Programme at the World Health