Colombo, Sri Lanka, 13–16 July 2025: The Global Public Health Summit (GPHS) 2025, held alongside the 30th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka (CCPSL), showcased the region’s united commitment to strengthening health systems through academic collaboration. Central to this momentum was the active engagement of leaders from the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) in the high-level Symposium 6: “Standardising Public Health Training in the Region.”
Regional Dialogue Led by APACPH Executives
The session was co-chaired by Professor Indika Karunathilake, Secretary General of APACPH, whose leadership in medical education and curriculum development has shaped capacity-building initiatives across Asia. The symposium provided a critical platform for exploring shared approaches to quality assurance, accreditation, and workforce development.
Prof. Dr. Elahe Nezami, Vice President of APACPH (North America) and founding director of the Miller School’s online Master of Public Health programme, delivered a keynote on “The American Experience in Accreditation and Standardisation.” Her presentation drew attention to the structural foundations of U.S. public health training, highlighting accreditation as a cornerstone for accountability, cross-institutional consistency, and global comparability.
Representing both regional and global academic networks, Prof. Low Wah Yun, Past President of APACPH, Editor-in-Chief of Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health and President-Elect of the Global Network for Academic Public Health (GNAPH), presented on “The Role of APACPH and GNAPH in Advancing Public Health Training.” She emphasised the need for strategic collaboration across institutions to align public health competencies, elevate education quality, and ensure graduates are practice-ready in dynamic, resource-limited environments.
Rounding out the panel, Prof. Dr. Victor Hoe an Executive Member of APACPH, and Head of Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya shared Malaysia’s national perspective, detailing how the National Postgraduate Medical Curriculum (NPMC) is unifying specialist training under a single, outcomes-based framework—integrating emerging fields like digital health, climate resilience, and systems thinking.
A Collective Step Forward
Symposium 6 affirmed the instrumental role of APACPH and its leaders in championing academic excellence, standardisation, and inter-country cooperation. By fostering shared benchmarks and promoting faculty development, APACPH continues to be a vital engine for transforming public health education in the Asia-Pacific and beyond.
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