"Global Health is an interdisciplinary field of work that aims to improve the health of everyone worldwide and to promote health equity. Health impact must be taken into account in all areas of policymaking, an approach known as 'Health in all policies'", expert in veterinary medicine and microbiology Lothar H. Wieler says. The President of the Robert Koch Institute has been a member of the Leopoldina since 2010. As Acting Senator of the Section Global Health, he is part of the Annual Assembly’s Organising Committee, alongside the Leopoldina members Susanne Hartmann, biologist and infection immunologist, and molecular biologist and virologist Thomas C. Mettenleiter. In his Inaugural Address today at 12.15 p.m., Wieler will discuss the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic for global health.

Impressions of the Annual Assembly 2022

Social scientist Johanna Hanefeld will speak about "International Health Protection and Health Equity" in today’s evening lecture at 8.15 p.m. The Head of the Centre for International Health Protection at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin/Germany will discuss issues such as the significance of globally connected and more robust public health systems.

In the morning, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, German Federal Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger, and Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt Reiner Haseloff will all give welcome addresses. Furthermore, the Leopoldina honours the materials scientist and biomedical engineer Francesca Santoro with the "Leopoldina Early Career Award". The award, funded by the Commerzbank Foundation, is valued at 30,000 euros. In her lecture the award winner will discuss her work in the field of bioelectronics, where she is developing new materials capable of interacting with the skin and the brain.

Yesterday, Thursday 22 September, the Leopoldina Senate elected the geologist Onno Oncken as member of the Academy’s Presidium. He succeeds engineering expert Sigmar Wittig, who as Secretary of Class I – Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Engineering, has been a member of the Academy’s Presidium since 2012. The Senate also elected Vice President Regina Riphahn for another term. The economist, a member of the Leopoldina since 2007, is Professor of Statistics and Empirical Economic Research at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.

This year also sees more than 35 highly talented pupils from throughout Germany attend the Annual Assembly. They will listen to the lectures at the event and have the chance to speak to the researchers. The pupils’ programme is funded by the “Friends of the Leopoldina” association.

The Annual Assembly is being livestreamed on the Leopoldina’s YouTube channel. The livestream is available until 6.30 p.m. today, and again for the evening lecture at 8.15 p.m. and on Saturday from 8.30 a.m. Lectures are held in English and German and simultaneously interpreted.