WORLD INNOVATION SUMMIT FOR HEALTH (WISH) EXPLORES CORRELATION BETWEEN EDUCATION AND WELLBEING

WISH and the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) partnered for first time in expert panel discussion at WISE 2014 

Doha, Qatar 5 November 2014: The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) held a special debate on education and well-being today in partnership with the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha. The event marked the first collaboration between the two global initiatives of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), aiming to ensure impactful outcomes in healthcare innovation and education in Qatar, the region and across the globe.

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of QF and Founder of WISH, attended the panel, continuing her long-standing support of QF’s mission to highlight the importance of global education and well-being in children. As a reflection of Her Highness’s global work, the joint panel between WISH and WISE was formed to explore and highlight the unarguable link between healthy children and happy children.

Moderated by Dr Harry Anthony Patrinos, Manager of Educational Global Practice at the World Bank Group, the panel investigated integrated approaches to understanding the relationship between education attainment and well-being, and explored some of the projects and initiatives that are leading the way in this field.

The panellists included Dr Mandana Arabi, Executive Director of the Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences; Professor Sir Harry Burns, Professor of Global Public Health at Strathclyde University; and Professor Marwan Awartani, President of Palestine Technical University and Secretary General of the Universal Education Foundation: Learning for Well Being.

WISH has also established the Mental Health and Well-being in Children and Young People Forum, chaired by Professor the Lord Richard Layard, Wellbeing Program Director at the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics (LSE). The Forum will further explore the role of education in well-being as part of its remit to produce evidence-based reports and provide recommendations for policymakers at the second WISH Summit taking place in February 2015 in Qatar.

Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, Executive Chair of WISH, said: “WISH and WISE share a passionately held belief that emerging global challenges can only be overcome with innovation and increased collaboration. The link between education and wellness is increasingly well documented, and I am confident that our experts can identify the best way forward. Together, we are working for a healthier, better-educated world for all.”

His Excellency Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Chairman of WISE, said: “The Education and Well-Being panel is an important contribution to the emerging consensus on the need for a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to the great challenges of our global age. Combining the expertise of WISH with the reach and experience of WISE provides an unrivaled platform from which to tackle this issue.”

WISH and WISE were both established under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, in 2013 and 2009 respectively. They are global communities of leading innovators who collaborate to address urgent challenges in health and education, with evidence-based solutions that benefit Qatar and the wider world.

For more information about WISH and the 2015 Summit, please visit wish.org.qa. For more information about WISE, visit wise-qatar.org.

ENDS

Notes to Editors
For more information please contact:
Noha El Afify
WISH Communications Manager
nelafify@wish.org.qa
+974 7768 6624

About the World Innovation Summit for Health
The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) is a global healthcare community dedicated to capturing and disseminating the best evidence-based ideas and practices. WISH is an initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) and is under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, its Chairperson.

The inaugural WISH Summit took place in Doha in 2013 and convened more than 1,000 global healthcare leaders. Through annual Summits and a range of ongoing initiatives, WISH is creating a global community of leading innovators in healthcare policy, research and industry.

Together, they are harnessing the power of innovation to overcome the world’s most urgent healthcare challenges and inspire other stakeholders to action.

About the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE)
Qatar Foundation, under the leadership of its Chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser established the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in 2009. WISE is an international, multi-sectoral platform for creative thinking, debate and purposeful action. WISE has established itself as a global reference in new approaches to education. Through both the annual Summit and a range of ongoing programmes WISE is promoting innovation and building the future of education through collaboration. WISE 2014 will take place 4-6 November in Doha.

Qatar Foundation – Unlocking Human Potential
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is a private, non-profit organisation that is supporting Qatar on its journey from a carbon economy to a knowledge economy by unlocking human potential for the benefit of not only Qatar, but the world. Founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, QF is chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.

QF carries out its mission through three strategic pillars: education, science and research, and community development. QF’s education pillar brings world-class universities to Qatar to help create an education sector in which young people can develop the attitudes and skills required for a knowledge economy. Meanwhile, its science and research pillar builds Qatar’s innovation and technology capacity by developing and commercializing solutions through key sciences. Finally, its community development pillar helps foster a progressive society while also enhancing cultural life, protecting Qatar’s heritage and addressing immediate social needs in the community.

For a complete list of QF’s initiatives and projects, please visit qf.org.qa. For more information about QF, please contact our press office at pressoffice@qf.org.qa.