Meet Amirhossein Takian, Vice Dean and Head of Department of the School of Public Health (SPH) of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) and Member of the Virchow Foundation for Global Health Council
Amirhossein Takian (MD MPH PhD FHEA) is Full Professor and Department Head of Global Health & Public Policy, and Vice-Dean at the School of Public Health (SPH)–Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Iran. A physician by training, Professor Dr Takian has a track record of research in health policy analysis in the field of good governance and evidence-based policymaking. Since January 2023, he has been an elected member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), Alliance for Health Policy & Systems Research, WHO-Switzerland. He is an elected member of National Academy of Medical Sciences, Iran; Founding Chief Research Officer at the Health Equity Research Centre (HERC)- TUMS; and Head of TUMS’ Delegation at the “M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies”, serving as a member of the World Health Summit (WHS) Executive Committee since 2017.
By joining the Council of the Virchow Foundation for Global Health, he hopes to continuously spur recognition and engagement for global health.
From your perspective, why is engagement and awareness raising for global health important?
People empowerment is the key to improving health and well-being of global citizens. With the increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and other chronic conditions, and the “global village” we all live in, people need to take social responsibility to stay healthy and contribute to their societies.
How are you committed to engaging in global health topics within your current professional role and activities?
I have three hats in this regard. As an academic, I have established the only department of global health in the pioneer university of my country. In this role, I am engaging with global scholars to improve knowledge, train global health professionals, and answer key global health questions in Iran and our region. As a policy maker, I have been trying my best to use good evidence to inform reliable and feasible policies, for sustainable health development. As an advocate, my passion and goal is creating a reasonable environment for good governance in global health, through addressing conflict of interests, increasing public awareness as well as enhancing transparency and responsiveness.
How do you hope to achieve greater awareness and engagement for global health in your new role at the Virchow Foundation for Global Health? How can the Virchow Prize for Global Health help to increase awareness?
Through identification of key global health challenges, recognition of main contributions to address them, engagement with an inclusive and comprehensive group of scholars from various settings (low-, middle-, and high-income countries), and partial allocation of the Virchow Prize for Global Health to practice and investment in global health. The Prize can serve as a product [and have an] impact [in increasing engagement], [more so] than a [single] person. [Laureates] need to be determined with careful consideration and good consensus from key Members of the Virchow Prize Committee.
Meet the Members of the Virchow Foundation for Global Health Council: www.virchowprize.org/council/
