The Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute (HKJCGHI), the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), and partner institutions successfully concluded the HKJC Global Health Institute and Partners Strategy Meeting, held from 22 to 24 July 2025 in Hong Kong. The meeting convened nearly 30 leading experts from academia, research institutions, and public health agencies, both in person and online.
 

Participants explored ways to deepen collaboration in disease surveillance and vaccine research, with a strong focus on data sharing, joint analysis, and capacity building. Professors Florian Marks and Leo Poon, Co-Directors of HKJCGHI, played active roles throughout the meeting, highlighting the critical role of global partnerships in advancing public health.

​

Highlights from the Meeting

​

• Day 1: The opening sessions featured institutional overviews from HKJCGHI and its key partners, including IVI, University of Cambridge, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), the Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance (University of Oxford), the Madagascar Institute for Vaccine Research (MIVR), and the Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population (Burkina Faso). Discussions focused on how to leverage existing datasets for future collaborative research.

• Day 2: Breakout sessions identified priority research areas that can be addressed using partners’ existing infrastructure and datasets, including the development of associated statistical analysis plans. In the capacity-building track, Professor Till Bärnighausen (HIGH) underscored the importance of cross-border mentorship in strengthening institutional and regional capacity.

• Day 3: The closing plenary sessions reaffirmed commitments to shared milestones. In his closing remarks, Professor Florian Marks, Co-Director of HKJCGHI, described the meeting as a “transformative step toward equitable global health solutions.”

 

Key Outcomes

 

​At the conclusion of the three-day meeting, participants agreed on the following strategic focus areas:

1. Evaluating Vaccine Impact: Apply experimental and quasi-experimental methods to assess the effects of novel vaccines on health outcomes and broader socio-economic indicators.

2. Optimizing Current Interventions: Embedding genomics into national and global programmes to develop precision interventions, incl. vaccines and antibiotics, against our greatest pathogen threats. 

3. Linking Climate and Disease: Validate statistical associations between climate change and the spread of target diseases to identify high-risk areas and better understand how environmental factors influence disease patterns, ultimately informing public health action.

4. Capacity Building and Training: Conduct structured training needs assessments in the above areas and support the enrolment of students in GHI-supported PhD programs aligned with these research priorities.​

 

This strategy meeting marks a key milestone in advancing interdisciplinary collaboration and regional capacity building. It underscores the convening power of HKJCGHI and sets a clear direction for future research, training, and policy efforts. The insights and commitments from the meeting will directly contribute to a stronger, more coordinated global response to infectious diseases and support progress toward more equitable health outcomes worldwide.

 

Media Enquiries 

Please contact the HKJCGHI by email (inquiry@hkjcghi.org).