A commitment to advancing global public health

Public Health Consultant Catherine Abdelsayed from Cairo, Egypt, speaks to Professor Raman Bedi on his recent election as President elect of the World Federation of Public Health Associations.

On 26 May 2024, Professor Raman Bedi was appointed as the new Vice President-president-elect for the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA). Professor Bedi is an Emeritus Professor at King’s College London and served as Chief Dental Officer of England from 2002 to 2005.

Thank you. WFPHA was founded in May 1967 representing 32 national public health associations. Currently, it represents 104 countries, 139 member associations, and almost 5 million public health professionals. In 1971, it began its official relations with the World Health Organisation. Since 1972, it has had cooperative activities with WHO, United Nations, and UNICEF in addition to many more diverse leading and policy-driven activities. The WFPHA is the main (only) Civil Society (CS) voice of public health worldwide.

Essentially it is an agenda-setting organisation with a large network of other likeminded NGOs

WFPHA leads many projects such as COVID-19, webinars and workshops, the global charter, and many more. In addition to that, WFPHA is concerned with initiatives like Global Public Health Week and Young WFPHA. It also organises the Global Public Health Congress which is held every two years.

Yes, it was a surprise. No dentist has ever been elected to that position and I was not sure whether countries would vote for me. Also, we have not had a UK president for over 50 years. All in all, it was unexpected but greatly appreciated. I also want to thank the UK Faculty of Public Health for supporting my nomination and allowing me to be the UK candidate in the election.

Public health has always been important and especially today following the COVID pandemic, the need to prepare for the next pandemic, workforce issues with the estimated 10 million worldwide shortfall in healthcare professionals which will be needed for us to provide universal healthcare and meet the challenge of future pandemics.

Of course, oral health is a global public health issue, and we need to address it with our public health colleagues. We must stop talking simply to dental professionals, we will only tackle this through a wider public health approach. Of course, being a dentist, everyone will expect me to focus on oral health, but I also want to promote vaccination and especially HPV vaccination. Australia have announced a campaign to eradicate cervical cancer – this is great news and I also want to work with other countries to have their own national campaign.

Another major project will be to win the bid, in 2026, for London to host the World Congress on Public Health in 2030. To have over 5,000 public health professionals visiting London will be a great achievement.

We live in challenging times: conflicts, workforce and funding shortages, misinformation and the threats and opportunities of emerging technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence. There will need to be equipping public health colleagues and especially through the creation of supportive leadership programmes and networks.

There are several working groups on key topics, workforce, environment. One health, oral health etc. It is the role of the senior team and the Geneva-based staff to support the work of the working groups.

I stated in my manifesto that I wanted to create a global network of senior individuals who were focused on the diversity and inclusion agenda. This is a priority to me personally.

Innovation can make a significant impact, such as digital health technologies, data analytics, community engagement, and interdisciplinary collaborations. In public health we want to be early adopters of new and evidence-based technologies, those that we know about and those that have yet to be developed. We simply need the skills and capacity to not only identify but evaluate these opportunities and importantly to ensure they are integrated into our health services.

The WFPHA has a talented team which fosters a supportive and inclusive environment, offering professional development opportunities, and ensuring open communication and collaboration among members. Many national organisations already work together eg the European Public Health Association. Some are newly developed and will need support. The main aim is to develop a collective structure whereby collaborations across national boundaries develop and there is real constructive interaction in their work.

We must stop talking simply to dental professionals, we will only tackle this through a wider public health approach.

I am elected as Vice President and become president in May 2026. My VP role is to support the current President Emma Rawson. Emma is based in New Zealand and passionate about indigenous health. This is an important public health agenda which needs to be highlighted and supported.

As I have said, the bid next year for London to host the 2030 World Congress on Public Health must be a priority.

Anyone who has worked at a senior level in the oral health space knows that you can become isolated from policy makers and become frustrated with the lack of funding that the subject becomes a priority. So, resilience is needed and the ability to build relationships and inspire others. My time as the Chief Dental Officer for England has helped shape my thinking and the skills needed to make a difference. Also, for the past 15 years running the Senior Dental Leadership programme underlined the need to create a supportive leadership network and equip individuals, many who are isolated and working in difficult positions. I want to bring that learning to the public health community and especially in the diversity and inclusion agenda.

I am grateful for their support and can reassure them of my commitment to advancing public health globally. I’m excited about the journey ahead and am grateful for the opportunity to serve as Vice President and then the two-year term as WFPHA President in 2026.