The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a global initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), is pleased to announce that Anthony Kennedy Shriver, will join the 2015 Summit in Doha as a keynote speaker.
He will address delegates on mental health – and specifically around the universal issue of integrating people with intellectual and development disabilities (IDD) into our communities, relative to both enhanced socialisation and competitive employment opportunities.
WISH inspires and diffuses healthcare innovation and best practice, remaining closely aligned to the vision and mission of Qatar Foundation to unlock human potential and serve to underscore Qatar's pioneering role as an emerging centre for healthcare innovation.
Anthony K. Shriver is the Founder and Chairman of Best Buddies International, the non-profit organisation dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in the United States in 1989, Best Buddies has grown from one original chapter to more than 1,700 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies' eight formal programmes (Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies, Jobs, Ambassadors, and Promoters) engage participants in each of the 50 US states and in over 50 countries, positively impacting the lives of more than 800,000 people with and without disabilities around the world.
Anthony K. Shriver said: “The delivery of enhanced healthcare practices and lifestyle enrichment that can make a difference to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is integral to WISH's work both regionally in Qatar and across the world. I am excited to join the WISH community and look forward to exploring how we can share our knowledge and work together to find innovative solutions that can make a real difference to people's lives.”
Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, Executive Chair of WISH and Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College of London, said: “As WISH and other initiatives propel us into a new era of global healthcare collaboration, some of the most exciting developments are taking place in the previously neglected area of mental health provision. Anthony K. Shriver is a dynamic, forward-thinking leader whose work has already made a profound difference to hundreds of thousands of people with intellectual and development disabilities. He has championed the case for greater economic and social inclusion, relentlessly and with great originality, and we are excited to welcome him into the WISH community.”
Anthony K. Shriver is one of several prominent speakers to present at the forthcoming WISH Summit, where world leading world experts will join an influential community of heads of state, government ministers, academics, clinicians, policy makers and business leaders to discuss innovative solutions to some of the most pressing global health challenges. WISH will publish reports on Delivering Affordable Cancer Care, Communicating Complex Health Messages, Diabetes, Dementia, Universal Health Coverage, Mental Health and Wellbeing in Children, Patient Safety and Maternal and Newborn Health.
