27
Jan

For several years, the Bulletin of the World Health Organization has produced theme issues aligned with the Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) themes, which had traditionally been launched in a 30-minute session at the main conference. These sessions typically featured one or two authors of selected articles, with some presentations delivered via pre-recorded videos. Over time, it became clear that the 30-minute format was too limited to fully explore the linkages between the content in the Bulletin’s theme issue and the annual PMAC theme.

To address this, the launch of the 2025 theme issue on Digital technologies to improve health services was expanded into a half-day side meeting. The event featured presentations from four contributing authors, alongside a panel discussion with two invited experts on the policy and research implications of digital health. The extended format enriched dialogue, fostered collaboration, and advanced knowledge translation to support improvements in health care.

Building on the success of the 2025 side meeting, the Bulletin of the World Health Organization will again host a dedicated side meeting at PMAC 2026 to launch its upcoming theme issue on Health system responses to population declines.

The side meeting at PMAC 2026 will be held to launch its upcoming theme issue on Health system responses to population declines. is alignment with PMAC2026 all three sub-themes, including Sub-Theme 1: Demographic Transitions, Social Equity, and Population Diversity, and Sub-Theme 2: Demographic Shifts and Health System Transformation, Sub-Theme 3: Governing Health for People and Planet: Geopolitics in Flux.