Program

The growing number of humanitarian crises due to wars and political unrest, natural disasters, food insecurity, infectious diseases, poverty, etc. affects millions around the world with devastating socioeconomic effects. Likewise, health systems around the world face challenges in responding to disease outbreaks, preventing and diagnosing disease, and promoting positive health outcomes among individuals and populations. Investments in capacity building for long term development and disaster management can have a significant and immediate impact on reducing loss of life, decreasing suffering, and advancing human dignity.

These are complex problems with high degrees of uncertainty, taking place in dynamic and severely resource-constrained environments. The goals of this conference include identifying common challenges, networking to promote coordination and collaboration across organizations and sectors around the world, defining priorities, and new strategies for systemic change and innovative solutions to save and improve lives on a massive scale.

The aim of the 9th annual Health & Humanitarian Logistics (HHL) Conference is to provide an open forum to discuss the challenges and new solutions in disaster preparedness and response, long-term development and humanitarian aid, and global health delivery. The conference platform encourages learning and collaboration within and across institutions; promotes system-wide improvements in organizations and the sector as a whole; identifies important research issues; and establishes priorities for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), corporations, and the government in terms of strategies, policies and investments.

Representatives from the humanitarian sector, government, NGOs, foundations and private industry, and academia present diverse perspectives in health and humanitarian challenges through keynote addresses, panel discussions, focused workshops, lunchtime group discussions, and interactive poster sessions covering a broad set of research topics and applications.

A LIVESTREAM of the Keynote session and plenary panels will be available on http://streaming.uncity.dk/uncity so please catch the conference preceedings there or get up to date afterwards with video recordings of plenary panel sessions and uploaded content from workshops, presentations and posters on the conference website!

Conference Co-Chairs

• Özlem Ergun, Northeastern University
• Jarrod Goentzel, Humanitarian Response Lab, MIT
• Etleva Kadilli, UNICEF Supply Division, Copenhagen
• Pinar Keskinocak and Julie Swann, Center for Health & Humanitarian Systems, Georgia Tech
• Luk Van Wassenhove, Humanitarian Research Group, INSEAD