Announcing the hosts of HSR2022
The Seventh Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (HSR2022) will be held in Bogota, Colombia. HSR2022 will welcome around 2,000 delegates between 31 October and 4 November 2022.
The winning bid was presented by a consortium that includes the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, headquartered in Bogotá and Cali, the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín, the Universidad de Cartagena, the Universidad Colegio Mayor Nuestra Señora del Rosario, and the San Ignacio University Hospital in Bogotá, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Republic of Colombia.
The capital of Colombia, Bogotá is a melting pot of people from around the globe. It is diverse and multicultural with a blend of modern and colonial architecture. Colombia is globally recognized for its healthcare system reform. This recognition has allowed the country to increasingly carry out more health systems research and teaching exchanges with universities and research centers around the world.
Upon receiving the news, Dr. Rolando Enrique Peñaloza Quintero, General Director of the Institute of Public Health of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá campus), stated “We are pleased to be appointed as host partners of the HSR2022 as Latin America faces enormous challenges regarding the performance of our health systems. Hosting the HSR2022 will allow us to delve into understanding more about the social and political processes surrounding public health. Through exploring and comparing the political economy of health systems, we will promote new research and participation processes to aid in decision-making with an improved global perspective. This requires solidifying the processes that strengthen participatory democracy and drive reforms towards health equity.”
“The HSR2022 global symposium is an example of the strength and importance of our country as one of the main centers for academic discussion and analysis and design of public policies oriented towards the health system”, added Paul Rodriguez, Professor at the Faculty of Economics of the Universidad Rosario and one of the leaders in the Regional Organizing Committee for Colombia.
Dr. Peñaloza affirmed, “Our winning bid demonstrates our capability to bring together an excellent mix of government entities, academic institutions, and healthcare providers within Colombia for the HSR2022 global symposium. Having this global symposium in Colombia will have an impact of great relevance for national policies and generate ties for the construction of academic communities of research in health policies and systems worldwide.”
Dr. Kumanan Rasanathan, HSG board member and chair of the HSR2022 host city selection committee, commented on the selection of Bogotá for HSR2022: “We were fortunate to receive a number of high quality bids for 2022, so congratulations to Colombian colleagues on being the successful candidate. We were particularly impressed by the diversity of their network of institutions and their strength in health systems research. And we are thrilled to finally be able to take the symposium to Latin America, which has contributed so much to our field.”
Professor Daniel Maceira, HSG board member and Chair for The Americas region celebrated the result of the selection process. “The region will be proud of receiving the HSG Global community in Latin America, home of significant health care reforms during the last thirty years. The occasion will allow regional researchers and policy makers to share their experiences and to get involved in enriching debates with colleagues from other continents, expanding spaces of interregional collaboration and supporting the exchange of ideas, scientific research, and analysis of policy interventions.”
HSG Chair, Professor Asha George, welcomed the announcement: “The HSG Board is delighted that we were able to select the Colombian proposal given its high quality, and the concerns the membership expressed about visa access and the importance of rotating to a new low and middle income region. We have much to learn from the histories and contributions that Latin America and the Caribbean has made to debates related to decolonization, health system reform and social justice.”
HSG Board Member, Dr Andres Vecino, who was a member of the HSR2022 venue selection committee, was transparent about his potential conflict of interest and was accordingly recused from the final decision-making process.
—
Image credit: Flavia Carpio on Unsplash
