International Urban Health Summit
2025-04-09 - 2025-04-11 | Schloss Herrenhausen, Herrenhäuser Str. 5, Hannover, 30419, Germany
Experts will discuss solutions to promote urban health, with a focus on urbanisation trends, the role of national academies and the exchange of ideas from various research areas to improve the quality of life in cities at the International Urban Health Summit 2025 in Hanover from 9 to 11 April 2025.
This important summit is a project of the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften and Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina in close cooperation with The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), Akademienunion and Virchow Foundation, greatly supported by VolkswagenStiftung.
Over 4.4 billion people globally live in urban areas and the urban population is predicted to reach 6.7 billion by 2050, accounting for 70 percent of the world’s population. This poses social and environmental challenges that will have disproportionate impacts on the health and wellbeing of citizens, especially of socially and economically disadvantaged communities. The varied and complex nature of urban life can complicate the development and introduction of plans and policies to promote urban health in a holistic manner.
The “International Urban Health Summit” as part of the Herrenhausen Conference series in Hanover, Germany, aims to bring together researchers and practitioners to address key issues of urban health through the lens of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The conference will foster interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange on various aspects of urban health, including but not limited to:

Urban Planning and Governance
Built Enviroment and Urban Health
Nautural Enviroment, Climate Change and Urban Health
Public Engagement and Urban Decision Making
Public Engagement in Urban Decision Making
Education and Social Determinants of Health

International Urban Health Summit

WHS Regional Meeting 2025
2025-04-25 - 2025-04-27 | Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, 110001, India
The WHS Regional Meeting 2025 from April 25-27 in New Delhi convenes experts and leaders to work together towards building a healthier future for the region by addressing its most pressing challenges and promoting global health progress, focusing on the overall theme “Scaling Access to Ensure Health Equity.”
WHS REGIONAL MEETING 2025

Virchow Prize Lecture 2025
2025-10-10 11:00 - 12:30 (Europe/Berlin) | ESMT Berlin, Schloßplatz 1, Berlin, Berlin, 10178, Germany
October 10, 2025 | 11:00 – 12:30 CET followed by a reception
This event will take place on campus and online. To attend the event in person, please register via the ESMT website here.
The Virchow Foundation and ESMT Berlin are delighted to host the distinguished Virchow Prize Lectures in honor of the 2025 Laureates, Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Zulfiqar A. Bhutta. Read more.
This year’s Laureates are recognized “for their pioneering, lifelong leadership in advancing maternal, newborn, and child health equity through community-centred, evidence-based research.”
The lecture will highlight the urgent need to advance equity in women’s, maternal, newborn, and child health. It will emphasize holistic, systems-based approaches that recognize the links between gender, health, and development, underscoring that health advances must be just, inclusive, and co-created with the communities they serve.
The discussion will explore integrated strategies to address global health challenges and promote equity, contributing to the achievement of:

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
SDG 5: Gender Equality
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

11.00
Introduction and Welcome
Prof. Jörg Rocholl, PhD, President and Deutsche Bank Professor in Sustainable Finance, ESMT Berlin; Council Member, Virchow Foundation
Prof. Detlev Ganten, Co-Founder and Member of the Board of Trustees, Virchow Foundation; Founding President, World Health Summit
Prof. Dr. Ole Petter Ottersen, Vice President, Virchow Foundation; Former President, Karolinska Institutet

11.10
Lectures of Virchow Prize 2025 Laureates
Prof. Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Associate Scientific Director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA); Professor of Epidemiology, the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, United States of America
Prof. Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Distinguished University Professor and Founding Director, Institute for Global Health & Development Aga Khan University (AKU), South-Central Asia & East Africa; Robert Harding Inaugural Chair in Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, Canada

11.50
Panel discussion
Prof. Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Associate Scientific Director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA); Professor of Epidemiology, the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, United States of America
Prof. Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Distinguished University Professor and Founding Director, Institute for Global Health & Development Aga Khan University (AKU), South-Central Asia & East Africa; Robert Harding Inaugural Chair in Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, Canada
Rana Hajjeh, Former President, Population Council, New York, USA
Mariam Jashi, Secretary-General, Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA); Ex Officio CEO, Global Sepsis Alliance, Berlin, Germany
Additional speakers to be announced.

12:20
Public Q&A

About the Laureates
Prof. Quarraisha Abdool Karim is a renowned epidemiologist and global health leader whose work has significantly advanced HIV prevention and women’s health. She is Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University and Associate Scientific Director of CAPRISA (Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa). As UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Adolescents and HIV, she champions evidence-based, community-driven approaches to health equity. Her research has shaped global responses to HIV/AIDS and continues to influence public health strategies for vulnerable populations.
Prof. Zulfiqar A. Bhutta is a globally recognized expert in global maternal, newborn, and child health. He is the Robert Harding Chair in Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, and Founding Director of the Institute for Global Health & Development at Aga Khan University. His pioneering work focuses on evidence-based interventions for improving health and nutrition outcomes in underserved populations. Prof. Bhutta serves on numerous global health advisory boards and is a leading voice in shaping policy for child and adolescent health worldwide.

The Virchow Prize Ceremony 2025
2025-10-11 | Great Ceremonial Hall of the Red City Hall, Rathausstr. 15, Berlin, 10178, Germany
THE VIRCHOW PRIZE 2025 – TOWARDS HEALTH FOR ALL
The Virchow Prize, awarded by the non-profit Virchow Foundation, is a major international award which recognizes and celebrates outstanding achievements towards “health for all” that are closely linked to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
Thie 2025 award ceremony will be held on Saturday, October 11.
Rewatch the laureate announcement and read statement of the Virchow Prize 2024 Laureates here.
Join us for this special ceremony in Berlin. More programme details to follow.

World Health Summit 2025
2025-10-12 - 2025-10-14 | InterContinental Berlin, Budapester Str. 2, Berlin, 10787, Germany
The World Health Summit 2025 takes place from October 12-14 in Berlin and online. The World Health Summit is a unique international strategic forum for global health. Held annually in Berlin, it brings together stakeholders from politics, science, the private sector, and civil society from around the world to set the agenda for a healthier future by inspiring innovative solutions for better health and well-being for all.
Every year on the eve of the World Health Summit, the Virchow Prize Ceremony takes places, kicking off an exciting week for global health in Berlin.
WORLD HEALTH SUMMIT 2025

"Migrant Health: Reinforcing Global Commitment Amidst Geopolitical and Funding Shifts”
2025-10-14 11:00 - 12:30 | Berlin Global Health Collective, Dorotheenstr. 83, Berlin, 10117, Germany
October 14, 2025 | 11:00 – 12:30 CET during the World Health Summit in Berlin
Migration and displacement are defining features of our era, intersecting with conflict, climate change, and global inequities. As political and funding landscapes shift, the health of migrants and refugees risks being deprioritised, despite the clear evidence that there can be no public health without migrant health.
We invite you to a side-level event entitled “No Public Health Without Migrant Health: Reinforcing Global Commitment Amidst Geopolitical and Funding Shifts”

Date and Time
Tuesday, 14 October 2025, 11:00-12:30 CET

Location
Berlin Global Health Collective

Address
Dorotheenstr. 83 | Entry: Neustädtischer Kirchplatz
DE-10117 Berlin, Germany
[8 min driving distance from the WHS venue]

Co-hosted by Virchow Foundation and GHA – German Health Alliance and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners, this event takes place against the backdrop of the World Health Summit (WHS) in Berlin, October 12-14, 2025.
It builds on WHO’s Global Action Plan on promoting the health of refugees and migrants, as well as the Joint Call “Reinforcing the Commitment to Addressing Migration & Health as a Global Public Health Priority” initiated by the Virchow Foundation end of May 2025 on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly and endorsed by nearly 40 international organisations and institutions. Please see annex to this letter and https://joint-call.org
The dedicated event will bring together policymakers, practitioners, researchers, donors, and migrant voices to reaffirm global commitments, highlight innovative practices, and chart pathways toward resilient, inclusive, and rights-based health systems.
This event is in-person only. Please confirm your participation by registering through this link: https://forms.office.com/e/pDmVzGbwNw
We look very much forward to your participation.
