The current state of global health

Professor Christian Wejse from the Department of Clinical Medicine is the academic chair for MatchPoints 2023.

While MatchPoints 2022 zoomed in on the brain, this year’s conference takes a much more wide-angle approach, focusing on the overall state of global health. Under the header ‘Global Health Challenges and Solutions’, a conference is planned in which global health will be illuminated from both an economic, healthcare and climate change perspective.

When we speak of global health, it is hard not to immediately think in terms of pandemics. But even though this subject is also dealt with by this year’s MatchPoints, there are many other topics on the programme. Over the course of the two days, leading international and Danish researchers will shed light on some of the major health challenges facing our world. Mental health has suffered a global blow, and climate change is increasingly cramming the world’s population into less space, resulting in more food shortages, a greater risk of disease spread and even more pronounced socio-economic inequality.

A focus on global inequality

Professor Christian Wejse from the Department of Clinical Medicine is the academic director of this year’s conference, and he is looking forward to bringing together researchers and NGO representatives to discuss the challenges – but very much also the possible solutions. Because as the world’s population cluster closer together, we cannot ignore the health challenges that are present in other countries already, he explains.

“There are huge global inequalities in access to health services, and there is a need to present research-based solutions to the major health challenges. A number of infectious diseases that have traditionally affected poor countries are on the decline, but new ones are emerging, and infectious diseases still have a major impact on mortality around the world. At the same time, many of the diseases that can be prevented and treated in the West are spreading to large parts of the world where the healthcare systems are not yet able to handle them.

About Global Health Challenges and Solutions 11-13 May 2023

11-12 May: Academic conference on “Global Health Challenges and Solutions” in the Lakeside Lecture Theatres.
The four themes are:
”Mental Health and Chronic Disease”
”Pandemics”
”Sustainability and Health”
”Global Health Equality”
See the full programme and register here
13 May: Popular event: “Your health, my health and the world’s health”.
On this day, we’ll be taking stock of the state of health of you, me and the world. In exciting presentations and inspirational conversations, you can learn from several health science researchers and experts about everything from intestinal bacteria and epidemics to mental health and travel medicine.
Registration is via the Danish University Extension. You can read more about “Your health, my health and the world’s health” and register here.

Four tracks focused on challenges and solutions

This year’s MatchPoints will be centred on four themes, all of which are concerned with major global problems and their possible solutions. The themes are designed to address the subject on a wide basis – not just in geographical terms, but also academically, says Christian Wejse.

“The themes have been chosen based on the main areas of global health that are currently the most important. Global Health is a broad subject, and we could have chosen several other focus areas that also are of great importance, but we have prioritised themes in which Aarhus University and the local area are strong. In this way, the conference will also be a showcase for what Aarhus can do in this field,” he says.

Christian Wejse believes that the debate about both challenges and solutions will reach beyond the conference.

“I hope MatchPoints will help to create a focus on the huge challenges we are facing. But I also hope that we will be able to present a number of solutions at the conference, and help to ensure that some of the strategies we are already familiar with are implemented.”

The conference will present a broad spectrum of exciting content and debate, and Christian Wejse expects to see attendees from both Aarhus University and the European Circle U. collaboration.

“We will be addressing many different areas and a lot of exciting topics – including some that may surprise people. We will for example be talking about the ‘Infodemic’ – a concept for the misinformation that had such a major impact during the pandemic on our confidence in face masks, social distancing and vaccines. I’m looking forward to that debate,” says Christian Wejse.

The dense programme will be packed into the two days that the conference is being held in the Lakeside Lecture Theatres. Christian Wejse hopes to attend as many presentations and debates as possible, but if priorities must be made in the schedule, there are some workshops that exert a particular attraction for him.

“After all, I’m a medical professional in infectious diseases, so I can’t keep away from the pandemic theme, which is packed with major figures who had a major impact both nationally and globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a question of how we can equip ourselves for the next pandemic. But I may also sneak into the equality theme, where I have a special interest in the health of migrants, which is also represented in an exciting programme.”

About MatchPoints

Aarhus University has been holding MatchPoints – an academic conference with an outward-facing profile – every year since 2007.
The purpose of MatchPoints is to stimulate dialogue between Aarhus University and the general public on issues of broad interest to society.
MatchPoints speakers are traditionally among some of the most eminent names in their field.
The faculties at Aarhus University takes turn hosting MatchPoints. In 2022 and 2023 Health hosts the conference.

CONTACT

Professor, the Department of Clincal Medicine
Christian Morberg Wejse
Email: wejse@clin.au.dk
Phone: +4551944519