HGPI Manager Ms. Eri Yoshimura participated in the 51st Asia-Pacific Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) Conference: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Reality hosted by Mahidol University’s School of Public Health on November 21 and 22, 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand. There, she joined a panel session entitled “Area Based Innovation.”

At the panel, Ms. Yoshimura was joined by Dean of Bangkok University School of Architecture Dr. Rittiron Chutapruttikorn and panel moderator Dr. Nares Damrongchai, CEO of a research institution founded by the government of Thailand called the Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences(TCELS). The panel deepened discussions on a variety of topics to promote health, maintain quality of life, and help people live with peace of mind. These topics included: aspects of city planning and environmental improvement outside of healthcare and long-term care frameworks, the importance of community participation, ideal political policies, and the potential of problem solving through cooperative efforts that surpass national boundaries and professional fields.

The APACPH Conference is held annually to share the latest innovations and information on issues and solutions in public health. This year, the discussion focused on methods to achieve the U.N.’s SDGs for 2030 in light of the fact that low and middle income countries currently fall short of health targets.