LEADERSHIP
Presidents
Christina MitchellInternational President 2024
Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Sophia ZoungasInternational President 2024
Head, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Axel R. PriesWorld Health Summit President
Dean (until 2022)Management
Carsten Schicker
Managing DirectorFounding President
Detlev GantenChairman of the Advisory Board
World Health SummitCouncil
The World Health Summit Council advises in major strategic aspects concerning the WHS main conferences, other events and products as well as in the development of the WHS community and the global, regional and national positioning of the WHS.
Co-Chairs
Ilona Kickbusch
Founding Director, Global Health Center, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
Elhadj As Sy
Chair of the Board, Kofi Annan Foundation
Members
Ricardo Baptista Leite
I-DAIR & UNITE - Parliamentarians Network for Global Health
Christoph Benn
The Joep Lange Institute
Umej Bhatia
Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations Office in Geneva
Mukul Bhola
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Catharina Böhme
World Health Organization (WHO)
Jagan Chapagain
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
Francesca Colombo
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Thomas B. Cueni
International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA)
Manfred Dietel
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Garth Graham
Google Health
Lisa Heinrich
Wellcome Trust
David Humphreys
Economist Impact
Chikwe Ihekweazu
World Health Organization (WHO)
Tobias Kahler
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Neema Kaseje
Surgical Systems Research Group & Lodwar County Referral Hospital
Stefan Kaufmann
Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology
Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti
World Health Organization (WHO)
Bernd Montag
Siemens Healthineers
Ole Petter Ottersen
University of Oslo
Magda Robalo
Institute for Global Health and Development
Liam Smeeth
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Christine Stegling
UNAIDS
Andrew Ullmann
German Parliament, Subcommittee for Global Health
Lothar Wieler
Hasso Plattner Institute
Andrea Winkler
Technical University of Munich
Ambassadors
The World Health Summit Ambassadors are appointed to personally represent the World Health Summit around the world in order to communicate its cause, widen its network, consolidate its structure and strengthen its impact.
Ayoade Alakija
Special Envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator), World Health Organization (WHO)
Edelgard Bulmahn
Federal Minister of Education and Research (until 2005)
Manfred Dietel
Director (until 2016), Institute of Pathology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Alexander Hewer
Chief Financial Officer, Vivantes Netzwerk für Gesundheit GmbH
Eckart von Hirschhausen
Physician, Science Journalist and Founder, Healthy Planet - Healthy People Foundation
Michael Rabbow
Senior Advisor, E&P Focus Africa Consulting
Heinz Riederer
Managing Director, iNG innovation. Nachhaltigkeit. Gesundheit
Reinhard Schäfers
German Ambassador (until 2015)
Bernhard Schwartländer
Global Health Envoy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ansgar Tietmeyer
Head of Public Affairs (until 2017), Deutsche Bank AG
Charles Yankah
Chairman, Afrika Kulturinstitut e.V.
Former International Presidents
The annual International President of the World Health Summit is provided by the M8 Alliance on a rotating basis.
2022Eugenio Gaudio
Rector (until 2020)
2022Luciano Saso
Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine
2020 & 2021Charles Ibingira
Principal (until 2020)
2019Ali Jafarian
Chancellor (until 2017)
2018João Gabriel Silva
Rector (until 2019)
2018Fernando Regateiro
Chairman of the Board of Directors (until 2020)
2017Hélène Boisjoly
Dean (until 2020)
2016Antoine Flahault
Director
2015Shunichi Fukuhara
Dean (until 2016)
2014José Otávio Costa Auler Jr.
Dean (until 2018)
2013John Eu-Li Wong
Chief Executive
2012Michael J. Klag
Dean (until 2017)
2011Steve Wesselingh
Dean (until 2011)
2010Stephen K. Smith
Pro Rector Health (until 2011)
2009Axel Kahn
Dean (until 2011)