Some thoughts on the Geneva Health Forum 2012
The theme for the 2012 Geneva Health Forum was "Lessons from the frontline", and Dr. Slama and the rest of the organizing committee put on an event that provided an opportunity to do just that. The speakers included an eclectic mix of frontline health professionals, policymakers, technologists, philosophers, innovators, patients, students, and businesspeople. The format of the Forum encouraged people to engage in dialogue in an effort to find fresh perspectives on how we can approach our own problems when it comes to NCDs.
Many themes were discussed - the role of technology, how can we learn from other diseases, successful prevention efforts, effective planning and policymaking, collaborations, etc. - and the format of the conference allowed for active, deep, participatory discussions that often created more questions than answers (which to me, is a mark of success). In addition to presentations, the conference included "fishbowl" sessions where participants would circle in and out of the discussion chairs throughout the conversation as well as more informal "NCD café" sessions that included friendly, interactive discussions with audience members over a coffee and snack. Throughout the presentations and lively sessions, two themes seemed to emerge.
How do we innovate?
The topic that seemed to permeate most presentations and discussions was the need to innovate. How can we innovate chronic disease? How can we apply innovative thinking to our work in the NCD field? By diving deep into new strategies, technologies, medicines, and other diseases (like HIV/AIDS and malaria), people were given the opportunity to look past the typical public health view and think about what innovation in chronic diseases would like. How do we find new ways of doing things? How can we improve the systems we already have in place? One clear lesson from those who innovate: Innovation is not always about being successful. Innovation comes form having successful failures, that is, learning from past efforts that will help guide future innovation.
How do we define cost?
Throughout several presentations and subsequent discussions, it became evident there is a split view on defining the cost of NCDs. Paraphrasing the comments of some participants from sub-Saharan Africa, on-the-ground health workers often define the cost of NCDs in a personal way - in human life and the ability to live a healthy, productive life. However, when it comes to broader national and international discussions on NCDs it becomes a purely economic argument. Is there a way to reconcile the two?
This question was never answered, but then again, it was not meant to. All of the questions raised by presenters, moderators, and attendees were not meant to find definitive answers, but to provide ways of finding fresh perspectives in our own work. The questions were useful, interesting, and sometimes difficult, but bringing the questions raised, and lessons learned, back to our own work will encourage new thinking around the NCD crisis, and new thinking will encourage innovation.
Twitter
Participants were quite active on Twitter during the conference. You can check out the tweets by searching for #ghf12 on Twitter. Also, the conference website has a Twitter feed on its homepage (http://www.ghf12.org/) and you can peruse tweets from the conference there as well.
Some tweets from the conference:
Nine words or fewer for getting policy makers to invest in preventing NCDs: "Your voters will die young if you don't." #ghf12 - Richard Smith (@Richard56)
Takehome msgs form @Genevaforum: sustainability key priority for #NCD programs & strategies.. Environmental, economic & social. - Dr. Alessandro Demaio (@sandrodemaio)
Migrant populations represent the 5th largest country in the world - often moving to #urban setting, where #NCDs are more prevalent #ghf12 - Genevieve Bois (GenBois)
"Here's the secret about #innovation. It's about failing. It's about failing often." - Mahad Ibrahim @gobeegroup #ghf12 - Sandra Hwang (@SandraWHwang)
Great to hear the insights of #frontliners and not "experts", great speech with interesting lessons from #Uganda #ghf12 - Genevieve Bois (@GenBois)
A fitting end to a fine day @Genevaforum ... A gentle reminder we are talking about human beings not conditions. #ghf12 - Fred Hersch (@fredhersch)
Many themes were discussed - the role of technology, how can we learn from other diseases, successful prevention efforts, effective planning and policymaking, collaborations, etc. - and the format of the conference allowed for active, deep, participatory discussions that often created more questions than answers (which to me, is a mark of success). In addition to presentations, the conference included "fishbowl" sessions where participants would circle in and out of the discussion chairs throughout the conversation as well as more informal "NCD café" sessions that included friendly, interactive discussions with audience members over a coffee and snack. Throughout the presentations and lively sessions, two themes seemed to emerge.
How do we innovate?
The topic that seemed to permeate most presentations and discussions was the need to innovate. How can we innovate chronic disease? How can we apply innovative thinking to our work in the NCD field? By diving deep into new strategies, technologies, medicines, and other diseases (like HIV/AIDS and malaria), people were given the opportunity to look past the typical public health view and think about what innovation in chronic diseases would like. How do we find new ways of doing things? How can we improve the systems we already have in place? One clear lesson from those who innovate: Innovation is not always about being successful. Innovation comes form having successful failures, that is, learning from past efforts that will help guide future innovation.
How do we define cost?
Throughout several presentations and subsequent discussions, it became evident there is a split view on defining the cost of NCDs. Paraphrasing the comments of some participants from sub-Saharan Africa, on-the-ground health workers often define the cost of NCDs in a personal way - in human life and the ability to live a healthy, productive life. However, when it comes to broader national and international discussions on NCDs it becomes a purely economic argument. Is there a way to reconcile the two?
This question was never answered, but then again, it was not meant to. All of the questions raised by presenters, moderators, and attendees were not meant to find definitive answers, but to provide ways of finding fresh perspectives in our own work. The questions were useful, interesting, and sometimes difficult, but bringing the questions raised, and lessons learned, back to our own work will encourage new thinking around the NCD crisis, and new thinking will encourage innovation.
Participants were quite active on Twitter during the conference. You can check out the tweets by searching for #ghf12 on Twitter. Also, the conference website has a Twitter feed on its homepage (http://www.ghf12.org/) and you can peruse tweets from the conference there as well.
Some tweets from the conference:
Nine words or fewer for getting policy makers to invest in preventing NCDs: "Your voters will die young if you don't." #ghf12 - Richard Smith (@Richard56)
Takehome msgs form @Genevaforum: sustainability key priority for #NCD programs & strategies.. Environmental, economic & social. - Dr. Alessandro Demaio (@sandrodemaio)
Migrant populations represent the 5th largest country in the world - often moving to #urban setting, where #NCDs are more prevalent #ghf12 - Genevieve Bois (GenBois)
"Here's the secret about #innovation. It's about failing. It's about failing often." - Mahad Ibrahim @gobeegroup #ghf12 - Sandra Hwang (@SandraWHwang)
Great to hear the insights of #frontliners and not "experts", great speech with interesting lessons from #Uganda #ghf12 - Genevieve Bois (@GenBois)
A fitting end to a fine day @Genevaforum ... A gentle reminder we are talking about human beings not conditions. #ghf12 - Fred Hersch (@fredhersch)
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