Who will steer the World Health Organization through its next chapter? Explore Health Policy Watch’s daily series examining the platforms, records, and institutional hurdles facing each contender for WHO Director-General, continuing today with Song Li. Access all candidate profiles on our dedicated election site. The formal confirmation of Dr Song Li’s candidacy by the People’s […] Continue reading ->
Tobacco companies have helped to engineer ultra-processed food (UPF) and scale up the industry, developing and distributing addictive products that are driving obesity, cancer, dementia and chronic diseases like diabetes. This is according to one of the most comprehensive reviews of the drivers and impact of UFP, published in the American Journal of Public Health […] Continue reading ->
Artificial intelligence promises huge efficiency gains for strained health systems, but algorithmic surveillance in long-term care systems also introduces profound ethical dilemmas. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled a comprehensive consultation draft on global long-term care standards to ensure digital innovation is balanced with fundamental human rights. Across the world, countries are […] Continue reading ->
DAVOS – In this snow-covered Alpine town where the world’s rich, powerful and elite met in January for the World Economic Forum, a quiet but consequential shift in thinking about dementia research crystallized – one with the potential to shape political engagements and research investments for the coming decade. Long treated as a disease primarily […] Continue reading ->
A new initiative that aims to measure and promote the inclusion of “brain capital” as an economic indicator was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week. Advocates for the Global Brain Economy initiative, and a companion Global Brain Capital Index argue that using brain health as a development indicator can help spur […] Continue reading ->
Why the collapse of the wall between science and ideology at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) threatens national health security, and vulnerable communities. I have spent most of my professional life in public health, from my work in HIV and meningitis prevention in commercial sex venues in New York City to […] Continue reading ->
As the G-20 Health Ministers meeting takes place next week in Johannesburg, South Africa, a new global coalition is trying to put Alzheimer’s and dementia-related diseases on the priority list of the world’s major economies; and there’s one man who stands out as a driving force behind this movement. In his video “Leadership Lessons from […] Continue reading ->
GEITA, Tanzania —The first time 78-year-old Hadija Kisanji got lost on her way home, neighbors found her sitting under a baobab tree, staring blankly at the dusty road. When they asked where she was going, she whispered, “I think I live nearby.” That was three years ago. Today, Kisanji barely remembers her own name. She’s […] Continue reading ->
DAVOS – With populations ageing and mental health disorders at a record high, halting the global “pandemic” of brain disorders needs to be a paramount concern of industry – as well as the global health community. What is needed is a global effort spawning a “healthy brain economy” for the future, reflecting the same sense […] Continue reading ->
Helen Rochford-Brennan, a 72-year-old Irish woman living with Alzheimer’s, was first diagnosed at 57, with a more complete diagnosis following five years later. At the time, there were no life-enhancing medications, leaving her to face the grim reality of her brain’s gradual decline, enduring what she described as “many dark days.” “Imagine having a new […] Continue reading ->