UofM SPH Dean Joshi at International Conference, Kazakhstan

UofM SPH Dean Joshi Speaker at International Conference on Planetary Health and Environmentally Sustainable Healthcare

Friday, 05 December 2025

Dean, Dr. Ashish Joshi, attended the 1st Nazarbayev University School of Medicine International Conference on Planetary Health and Environmentally Sustainable Healthcare in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The two-day conference kicked off with a Pre-Conference Workshop led by Dean Joshi, on “Public Health Diplomacy in an Era of Complexity, Uncertainty, and Unpredictability” held on December 3. The workshop examined the role of public health diplomacy in today’s rapidly changing global environment and addressed how international cooperation, leadership and data-driven strategies help build stronger, more resilient health systems.

During the workshop, Dean Joshi highlighted the UofM SPH Public Health Diplomacy Lab, which is the first of its kind in the country. He also spoke about the 1st Public Health Diplomacy Summit, hosted by the UofM SPH, with the summary of outcomes published in Frontiers. Dean Joshi informed attendees about the Public Health Diplomacy Steering Committee that has garnered the engagement of international public health professionals from around the world.

On day two, Dean Joshi gave a session titled “Reimagine Public Health in the 21st Century using SMAART Model” where he discussed the importance of youth engagement in the field of public health. He touched on the UofM SPH sponsored Public Health Clubs in high schools locally and internationally. He also talked about the UofM SPH Public Health Hackathons, an initiative that encourages youth from around the world to come up with innovative solutions to 21st century public health challenges.