Tomorrow (7
April) is World Health Day – the 75th anniversary
of the creation of the World Health Organization and an opportunity to reflect
on the day’s theme: Health for All.
An
equitable and evidence-based health system is an important strategic goal for the Academy: our purpose is to
advance research and innovation to improve everyone’s health.
We
contribute to projects and work that we believe will lead to an economically,
environmentally and socially sustainable health system.
In fact, Driving health equity is the theme for our 2023 annual meeting
this October – a two-day gathering of experts and stakeholders from Australia’s
health, research and innovation community.
Leaders in health equity will facilitate discussions on
pressing health concerns and ways to improve equity in our research and
healthcare systems.
The Academy’s Fellows frequently work on projects to improve
health equity. Our 2022 statement, Climate change: an urgent health
priority, highlighted the disproportionate effect of climate change
on people living in disadvantaged circumstances. The statement was released
last year on World Health Day: find it on our website.
The Academy also urged the Australian Government to address health
inequities ahead of the 2022 Federal election, calling for government
investment to prioritise self-determined and Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander-led research, policies and programs that are equitable, transparent
and responsive to the needs of these communities. Read the statement on the Academy
website.
Our 2022 report, “Research
and innovation as core functions in transforming the health system”, highlighted how the important role
of research and innovation in addressing this issue, noting that priority
populations are underrepresented in health and medical research. The report stressed
that authentic partnerships that actively engage the full diversity of the
whole community are an important lever in advancing health equity.
Recently, AAHMS Fellows Professor Fran Baum and Sharon Friel
contributed to The Lancet’s series on the commercial determinants of
health, and how these commercial actors are increasing levels of ill health and
inequity. Find the series via open access online on The Lancet’s website.
Media:
AAHMS Communication Manager Katie Rowney, [email protected] or 0419 797 511.