Network Event

Global Health Connector Event @ UNGA80 Science Summit 2025

Start: 22 September 2025
End: 24 September 2025
Location: New York
, United States

We will host three days of high-level sessions, spotlighting two key global health challenges. Day 1 and 2 will focus on ‘Women’s Health’ & ‘Enabling the Prevention and Management of Obesity and related NCDs’.

The programme will conclude on Day 3 with an invitation-only gathering at the United Nations Headquarters, bringing together key stakeholders to reflect on the outcomes from the previous two days of convergence and to define actions going forward.

Transforming Women’s Health through Science & Sustainable Partnerships
22 September, 9am - 4.30pm ET

In partnership with the Society for Women’s Health Research, this session will discuss key developments and opportunities to advance women’s health research, education, and policies, presenting insights from successful models employed from grassroot initiatives to international collaborations. Attendees will discuss strategies to implement change in their respective jurisdictions and have opportunities to forge collaborations across the women’s health care and policy ecosystem.

 

Enabling the Prevention and Management of Obesity and Related NCDs with Convergence
23 September, 9am – 4:30pm ET

This session will highlight the urgent need to address obesity as a global health challenge. By bringing together leaders in health, science, finance, and policy, we will explore how convergence can unlock new models for prevention, funding, and systemic change.

Science Summit 2025
Agenda
Day 1 - Transforming Women’s Health through Science & Sustainable Partnerships convened by ECHAlliance & Society for Women’s Health Research
9:00am – 9:15am
Welcome & Charge for the Day
9:00am – 9:15am
9:15am – 10:30am
Establishing National Priorities to Advance Women’s Health
  • Dr Irene Aninye (Moderator) - Chief Science Officer, Society for Women's Health Research
  • Deborah Loxton, PhD - Director/Australia Director, Centre for Women's Health Research, University of Newcastle Australia (Virtual)
  • Ayodola Anise, MHS - Senior Director, Operations, Milken Institute Health
  • Angela Kaida, PhD - Scientific Director, Institute of Gender and Health, The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
9:15am – 10:30am
10:30am – 10:50am
Networking Break
10:30am – 10:50am
10:50am – 11:50pm
Translating Innovation Across Borders
10:50am – 11:50pm
11:50pm – 12:05pm
Special Topics
  • Siobhan Kelleher - Founder & CEO, OnaWave Medical
  • Roxanne Pero, MD, FACOG, FACLM, IFMCP - Medical Advisory Board Member, O Positiv Health
  • Ashley Szofer - Director, Alliance Development, Johnson & Johnson

 

11:50pm – 12:05pm
12:05pm – 12:25pm
Open Discussion
12:05pm – 12:25pm
12:25pm – 13:30pm
Networking Lunch
  • Laura Sugam - Cencora
12:25pm – 13:30pm
13:30pm – 13:40pm
Women’s Health Insights
13:30pm – 13:40pm
13:40pm – 14:40pm
Elevating Women in the Workforce
  • Dr Irene Aninye (Moderator) - Chief Science Officer, Society for Women's Health Research
  • Shirley Malcom, PhD - Senior Advisor and Director, SEA Change, AAAS
  • Roopa Dhatt, MD, MPA - Assistant Professor, Georgetown University Medical Center
  • Gabriela Rojas - Founder & CEO, Sin Reglas
  • Sarah Hendriks - Director of the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Support Division (PPID), UN Women
13:40pm – 14:40pm
14:40pm – 15:30pm
Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships for the Goals
  • Nicole Althaus (Moderator) - US Ambassador, The Global Health Connector
  • Esther Ruiter - Head of Growth and Strategy, Africa Health Business (Virtual)
  • Julie Gerberding  - President and Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH)
14:40pm – 15:30pm
15:30pm – 15:50pm
Networking Break
15:30pm – 15:50pm
15:50pm – 16:00pm
Women's Health Insights
15:50pm – 16:00pm
16:00pm – 16:30pm
Empowering Women at the Forefront of Community-Based Care
  • Dr Irene Aninye (Presenter) - Chief Science Officer, Society for Women's Health Research
  • H.E. Toyin Ojora Saraki, LLB, LLM, BL, FPH - Founder and President, Wellbeing Foundation Africa
16:00pm – 16:30pm
16:30pm – 16:50pm
Open Discussion
16:30pm – 16:50pm
16:50pm – 17:00pm
Closing Remarks
16:50pm – 17:00pm
Day 2 - The Power of Convergence: Enabling Prevention and Management of Obesity and Related NCDs
9:00am – 9:30am
Welcome & Introduction
9:00am – 9:30am
9:30am – 10:30am
What is Convergence? The Integration of Health, Finance, Science & Economy
9:30am – 10:30am
10:30am –12:00pm
The Integration of Science: The Science of the Interconnection of NCDS.
10:30am –12:00pm
12:00pm – 13:00pm
Lunch & Networking
12:00pm – 13:00pm
13:00pm – 14:30pm
The Integration of Health Systems and Primary Healthcare
  • Dr Irene Aninye - Chief Science Officer, Society for Women's Health Research
  • Amit Thakker - Executive Chairman, and Chairperson of Kenya Health Professions Oversight Authority, African Health Business (Virtual)
  • Dr Marius Geanta - President, Centre for Innovation in Medicine (Romania)
  • Lisa Schaffer - Executive Director, Obesity Canada
  • Bruno Halpern – President Elect, World Obesity Federation
  • Greg Perry – Director General, Global Self Care Federation
  • Sarah Le Brocq - Director, All About Obesity
13:00pm – 14:30pm
14:30pm – 16:00 pm
The Integration of Policies: The Interconnection Between Obesity and other NCDs
  • Brad Herbig - Senior Fellow and Director Health Data and Analytics, McKinsey Health Institute
  • Guilherme Duarte - Executive Director  MD, UNITe
  • Dr. Raji Tajudeen - Acting Deputy Director General, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)
  • Mike Farrar - Interim Permanent Secretary, Department of Health Northern Ireland (Virtual)
  • Daniel Mora-Brito - Engagement
  • Amira Saber Qandil - Member of Parliament, Egyptian House of Representatives
  • Jackie Kassouf Maalouf, Ph.D. - Vice President at the International Diabetes Federation IDF
14:30pm – 16:00 pm
16:00pm – 16:30pm
Conclusion, Calls to Action and Recommendations
  • Bleddyn Rees - Deputy Chair, The Global Health Connector
  • Declane Kirrane - Chairman and Managing Director, Science Summit NYC
  • Lars Hartenstein - Director of Healthy Longevity, McKinsey Health Institute, McKinsey & Company
  • Brad Herbig - Senior Fellow and Director Health Data and Analytics, McKinsey Health Institute
  • Dr Irene Aninye - Chief Science Officer, Society for Women's Health Research
  • Brian O'Connor - Chair, The Global Health Connector
16:00pm – 16:30pm
Day 3
Thursday, August 31, 2020
Card #1
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, mea ei viderer probatus consequuntur, sonet vocibus lobortis has ad. Eos erant indoctum an, dictas invidunt est ex, et sea consulatu torquatos. Nostro aperiam petentium eu nam, mel debet urbanitas ad, idque complectitur eu quo. An sea autem dolore dolores.
Thursday, August 31, 2020
Speakers
Adam Wootton
Chief Technology Officer and Cofounder, Daiser
Adrian Johnston
Innovation Commissioner, Innovation City Belfast
Angela Kaida
Scientific Director, Institute of Gender and Health, The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Antonella Santuccione-Chadha
Founder & CEO, Women's Brain Foundation
Ayodola Anise, MHS
Senior Director, Operations, Milken Institute Health
Bleddyn Rees
Deputy Chair at Global Health Connector
Brad Herbig
Senior Fellow and Director Health Data and Analytics, McKinsey Health Institute
Brian O’Connor
Chair at Global Health Connector
Bruno Halpern
President Elect, World Obesity Federation
Charline Coquerel
Novo Nordisk, Vice President, Communication & Advocacy
David Hawkins
Founder/Co-Founder, AIM4ALL
Deborah Loxton, PhD
Director/Australia Director, Centre for Women’s Health Research, The University of Newcastle/ Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health
Declan Kirrane
Declan Kirrane
Chairman, Science Summit at United Nations General Assembly
Delali Attiogbe Attipoe, MB, MBA
North America Director/Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi)
Dr. Amit Thakker
Executive Chairman Africa Health Business
Dr. Ngashi Ngongo
Africa CDC , Chief of Staff
Dr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta
Founder at Health Parliament
Esther Ruiter
Business and Partnership Manager, Africa Health Business
Gabriela Rojas
Founder & CEO, SinReglas
Greg Perry
Director General, Global Self-Care Federation
Guilherme Duarte
Executive Director , MD, UNITe
H.E. Oluwatoyin Ojora Saraki
Wellbeing Foundation Africa, Founder and President
Irene Aninye
Chief Science Officer at Society for Women’s Health Research
Jean Philbert Nsengimana
Chief Digital Advisor - Africa CDC
Jeffrey Lazarus
CUNY SPH & ISGlobal, Professor
Joe Nadglawski
Obesity Action Coalition, President/CEO
Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), President and Chief Executive Officer
Kathryn Shubert
Society for Women's Health Research, President & CEO
Lars Hartenstein
Director of Healthy Longevity, McKinsey Health Institute
Laura Sugam
Cencora, Director,Global Corporate Responsibility Reporting & Operations
Lisa Schaffer
Executive Director, Obesity Canada
Lynne Van Poelgeest-Pomfret
WFIPP, President
Mariam Jashi
UNITE
Marius Geanta
Centre for Innovation in Medicine (Romania), President
Mike Farrar
Department of Health Northern Ireland, Interim Permanent Secretary
Nicole Althaus
US Ambassador at Global Health Connector
Ntobeko Ntusi
South African Medical Research Council, President and CEO
Roopa Dhatt, MD, MPA
Georgetown University Medical Center, Assistant Professor
Roxanne Pero, MD, FACOG, FACLM, IFMCP
O Positiv Health, Medical Advisory Board Member
Sarah Hendriks
UN Women, Director of the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Support Division (PPID)
Sarah Le Brocq
All About Obesity, Director
Shirley Malcom, PhD
AAAS, Senior Advisor and Director, SEA Change
Siobhan Kelleher
OnaWave, Founder and CEO
Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, MBBS
Medicaid Radio-Diagnostics & Clinics/Medicaid cancer foundation, ‎Chief Executive officer
Zinatara Manji, MS
InnoPathwayZ, LLC, Founder & Principal, Regulatory Strategist
Partners
Strategic Sponsors
Novo
hlth_llc_dark
Sponsors + Media Sponsors
Cencora_Logo_Standard_Blue_RGB-1-768x110-1
OnaWave Logo Transparent
OPositivHealth_Logo-768x170-1
BSD-Blog-e1710868833922
BMC-Logo-Part-of-SN_02_NS_RGB
Science Summit 2024 - UNGA 79

Register to the event