Taiwan Strengthens Leadership in Asia-Pacific Health Promotion at the 56th APACPH Conference in Thailand
The 56th Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium of Public Health (APACPH) Conference in Chiang Rai, featured a Panel Session on Disease Control & Health Education, jointly organized by the APACPH Collaborating Centres for Health Promotion (CCHP), the Taiwan’s Health Promotion Administration (HPA) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Taiwan Association for Global Health Initiative (TAGHI), with co-organization by the Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Population Health Sciences at the National Health Research Institutes.
On November 5th at Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand, the panel session brought together international experts and public health professionals to exchange opinions on Collaborative Action on NCDs: Insights from Taiwan with a Regional Focus on Asia-Pacific. Distinguished speakers included Dr. Elahe NEZAMI, Professor of Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, the United States of America; Dr. Hung-Yi CHIOU, Director and Distinguished Investigator, Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan; Professor Takahiro Higashi, Department of Public Health and Health Policy, University of Tokyo, Japan; Dr. Utooporn Wongsin, Lecturer at the Department of Public Health Administration, Mahidol University, Thailand. Officials and scholars from four countries joined in public speeches and discussions, with around 80 participants from 11 nations, including the United States, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and other Asia countries. The event further strengthened cross-national collaboration and underscored Taiwan’s growing visibility and leadership in the Asia-Pacific public health arena.
Group Photo of Parallel Session
Since its establishment in 1984, the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) has been dedicated to advancing academic exchange in public health across the region. It has become one of the most influential nonprofit international academic organizations in the Asia-Pacific and serves as an important think tank for many Ministries of Health. Within this framework, Taiwan and eight partner countries jointly established the CCHP in 2017 as a regional platform for health promotion education and training. The CCHP signed the “Taipei Statement on Capacity Building for Health Promotion” with its partners and has since hosted more than 32 international conferences, forums, and workshops to strengthen capacity among public health professionals and promote regional collaboration.
Dr. Hung-Yi Chiou, Director of CCHP, currently serves as APACPH President-Elect and Finance Vice President. CEO of CCHP, Dr. Betty Ya-Wen Chiu, who has served as the inaugural APACPH Taiwan Regional Director since 2016 and was elected Vice-President-1 in 2022 and re-elected in October 2023, chaired and gave the closing remark of the panel session. Both are members of the APACPH Executive Council Meeting (ECM) and participate in the organization’s major decision-making processes. The panel session was Co-chaired by Dr. Nicholas LO, Deputy CEO of CCHP.
CEO of CCHP, Dr. Betty Ya-Wen Chiu
The panel session opened with welcoming remarks by Dr. So Yoon KIM, President of APACPH, Dr. Guo-Ning LIN, Division Director of Planning Division from Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan, Dr. Hung-Yi CHIOU, Director of CCHP and the President-Elect of APACPH. Experts from four countries shared perspectives from policy and public health practice, highlighting challenges, practical cases, and reflections on NCDs prevention and health promotion.
Dr. Elahe NEZAMI presented how the convergence of AI, domain expertise, and cross-sector collaboration is transforming public health—reshaping how we learn, practice, and lead—while calling for collective action to embed AI literacy, ethics, and adaptability to build equitable and resilient global health systems. Dr. Hung-Yi CHIOU emphasized that integrating big data across government ministries improves data quality and guide resource allocation. Big data—driven precision public health policy establishes an evidence-based foundation that maximizes population health benefits. Professor Takahiro Higashi talked about Japan’s cancer control policy, highlighting patient participation and the inclusion of the Patient Experience Survey in progress evaluation, which drives the active patients involvement in the policy formulation. Dr. Utoomporn Wongsin brought into the financial perspective of Thailand’s cancer policy, demonstrating the economic and social value of prevention through actual costing and scaling approaches. Strong economic evidence and a ready system are key to building sustainable health systems and scaling up quality care.
Dr. Kuo-Ning LIN, Division Director, Planning Division, Health
Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan
The Participant Raised Questions during the Parallel Session Discussion
The session concluded with an engaging discussion, followed by closing remarks from Dr. Betty Ya-Wen Chiu. She expressed her gratitude towards the Health Promotion Administration for its steadfast support and to all participants for their active engagement throughout the event. She hopes that the knowledge and inspiration gained from the workshop would continue to drive collective efforts and consensus in promoting health and preventing NCDs across the Asia-Pacific region.
Closing the Parallel Session with an Award Ceremony