PATH at the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2025

The World Health Summit (WHS) is an international conference held in Berlin, Germany, every year. The WHS aims to inspire innovative solutions, strengthen collaboration, and promote global health.

In addition to the WHS, a WHS Regional Meeting is held every year in different parts of the world. This year, the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2025 was held in New Delhi, India from April 25 to 27.

With an incredible lineup of collaborators—including Ashoka University, IIIT-Delhi, Asian Development Bank, GIZ, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, Koita Centre for Digital Health, American India Foundation, and the Government of Telangana—PATH led critical discussions on digital health, nutrition, AI for health, Global South cooperation, and more.

PATH session details:
PATH led and co-curated conversations on the following:

Harnessing Digital Health and Integrated Nutrition Strategies to End Undernutrition in Children Under Five

American India Foundation and PATH
April 25 |10.45-12.15, Room 10

Undernutrition remains a critical public health challenge, with 1 in 3 children under five affected. Addressing undernutrition requires a multi-pronged approach, integrating early detection, targeted nutrition interventions, and improved dietary access. This session will explore how government, private sector, and development partners can collaborate to integrate these approaches within existing programs.

Speakers:

• Dr. Shilpa Jain, Regional Director – West, AIF
• Dr. Dhwani Almaula, Technical Director – Public Health, AIF
• Smt. Shubha Sarma IAS, Principal Secretary to Government of Odisha, Department of Women and Child Development
• Mr. Sameer Kanwar, Digital Health, India & South Asia, PATH
• Smt. Dhivya Sivaramakrishnan, Delivery Lead – Asia Solutions Division, Dimagi
• ​​​​​​​Dr. Rakesh Kumar, MD, Chief Consultant, Global Health- WISH, USA

Digital Health Accreditation for Advancing Quality, Standardization, and Excellence

Koita Centre for Digital Health at Ashoka University and PATH
April 25 | 15.15-16.45, Room 10

The rapid adoption of digital health solutions, including Hospital Information Systems and Electronic Health Records, necessitates robust quality standards and accreditation frameworks to ensure interoperability, security, and efficiency. This session brings together policymakers, private sector, and development partners to discuss how digital health accreditation frameworks can be institutionalized, and the critical role of public-private partnerships and capacity building.

Speakers:

• Dr. Rizwan Koita, Co-Founder, Koita Foundation and Chairperson- NABH
• Prof. Anurag Agrawal, Dean, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University
• Mr. Neeraj Jain, Country Director, India and Director Growth Operations –AMEE Region, PATH
• Lt Gen Madhuri Kanitkar (Retd), Vice-Chancellor, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences
• Prof. Mona Duggal, Director, ICMR-NIDHR
• Dr. Rana Mehta, Partner & Leader Healthcare, PWC Services LLP, India
• Mr. Jai Ganesh Udayasankaran, Executive Director, Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN)

Safe Transitioning of AI into Primary Health Care: Building Trust, Capacity, and Resilience

IIIT-Delhi and PATH
April 25 | 17.00-18.30, Room 15

Trust, transparency, capacity, and contextual relevance are critical to ensure that Artificial Intelligence does not deepen inequities and does not remain fraught with risks. This roundtable brings together global leaders to explore safe transitions of AI into primary care with a dual lens: amplifying capacity while safeguarding against risk. The session emphasizes building local capacity and co-creating policies that make AI a trustworthy ally in the war against challenges such as AMR and primary health care inequity.

Speakers:

• Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee, Managing Director- Wadhwani Foundation
• Dr. Mona Duggal, Director- NIDHR-ICMR
• Dr. Karthik Adapa, Regional Adviser, Digital Health, WHO-SEARO
• Dr. Swati Mahajan, Director - Technology Innovations & Health Systems PATH
• Nico Schiettekatte, Counsellor for Health, Welfare and Sport, Embassy of Kingdom of Netherlands
• Gaurav Agarwal, Co - Founder & Chief Technology Officer 1 mg
• Anaita Singh, Program officer, Gates foundation India
• Dhwani Almaula, Director, Public Health, American India Foundation
• Resham Sethi, Senior Program Officer, Digital Health, PATH
• Madhav Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, India Health Fund

Shaping the Future of Cancer Care: Digital Oncology in Action at the National Cancer Grid

Ashoka University and PATH
April 26 |10.45 - 12.15, Room 10

Digital technologies are transforming cancer care across early detection, treatment, and patient management. The National Cancer Grid (NCG) has played a pivotal role in scaling AI-driven diagnostics, tele-oncology, and digital pathology solutions across India. However, successful adoption of digital oncology requires collaboration across health care providers, technology developers, and policymakers. This session will highlight successful digital oncology implementations, focusing on building public trust, fostering collaboration within the digital health ecosystem, and strengthening the competencies of health care professionals.

Speakers:

• Prof. Anurag Agrawal, Dean, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University
• Dr. Manju Sengar, Head of Medical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital
• Dr. Harit Chaturvedi, Chairman, Max Cancer Institute
• Dr. Prashanth Mathur, Director, ICMR-NCDIR, Bengaluru
• Dr. Asha Hegde, Director, HIV/Hepatitis and STI, South Asia, PATH
• Dr. Karthik Adapa, Regional Advisor, Digital Health, WHO SEARO

Future-Proofing Health Systems: Leveraging Innovative Technologies to Address the Emerging Vulnerabilities

Asian Development Bank and PATH
April 26 |13.30 to 15.00, Room 6

Innovative technologies are crucial in strengthening system readiness against emerging health challenges. This session is part of the ADB-PATH collaboration on strengthening integrated primary health care management of noncommunicable diseases and will highlight key technologies shaping the next era of health care and how these technologies can be used to build a more resilient, sustainable, and patient-centered system for future-proofing public health.

Speakers:

• Dr. Swati Mahajan, Director, Technology, Innovations and Systems, PATH
• Dr Bhaskar Rajakumar - Program Director, Health Initiatives, ARTPARK
• Ms. Shivani Gupta, Senior Inclusive Design Manager, Global Disability Innovation Hub
• Dr. Jonas Karlström, Associate Professor, Innovation Science for Global Health and Innovation Science Core Lead, Global Programmes and Research, SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, Singapore
• Ms. Veena Moktali, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Periwinkle Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
• Mr. Ramakant Vempati, Co-founder, Wysa
• Dr. Jae Kyoun Kim, Health Specialist, Asian Development Bank
• Dr. Priyanka Bajaj, Health Technology Innovations Specialist, PATH
  

Building a Future-Ready Health Care System: Combating NCDs Through Digital and AI Technologies

Government of Telangana and PATH
April 26 |15:15-16:45, Room 10

Noncommunicable diseases account for nearly 60% of deaths in Telangana, with rising burdens of diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. Strengthening NCD care requires a multipronged approach leveraging digital health and AI. This high-level roundtable will identify key challenges in NCD care, discuss innovative models for early detection, localized solution deployment, and improved accessibility, particularly in rural and tribal areas.

Speakers:

• Karthik Adappa, Regional Advisor, Digital Health, WHO SEARO
• Mona Duggal, Director, ICMR-NIDHR
• RV Karnan, MD, NHM, Govt of Telangana
• Rizwan Koita, Chairperson NABH, Co-founder- Koita Foundation
• Yik-Ying Teo, Vice President (Global Health), National University of Singapore, Dean, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health
• Shri Abhishek Singh, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
• Eduardo P. Banzon, Principal Health Specialist, Asian Development Bank
• HSD Srinivas, Head- Health, Tata Trusts
• Ajay R Nair, ACT / Swasth Alliance
• Sameer Kanwar, PATH
• Resham Sethi, PATH
• Kinjal Saxena, AIG Hospital
• Lavanya Jayaram, Regional Director for South Asia, AVPN
• Mark Lenhart, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Society of Critical Care Medicine
• Smt. Rama Devi Lanka, Govt. of Telangana
• Nitin Rathnam, Senior Program Director, Piramal Foundation
• Shri. R. V. Karnan, IAS, MD, NHM, Government of Telangana
• Sukriti Govil, Consultant, Consultant,Govt. Of Telangana

Democratizing Global Health Engagement: Amplifying the Voices and Experiences of the Global South

PATH
April 26 |15:15-16.45, Room 7

The Global South faces shared challenges, often exacerbated by socioeconomic inequalities, limited resources, and geopolitical uncertainties. Because of such gaps, countries in these regions have historically played a limited role in global health decision-making, an imbalance that needs to be corrected. This session will advance deliberations around the Global South’s collective interests and reforming the global health agenda. The panel will also discuss how we can find collaborative solutions, strengthen the voice of the Global South in international fora, and prepare local champions by empowering the Global South with actionable knowledge.

Speakers:

• Dr. Ankur Mutreja, Director – Strategy, Partnerships and Communication, PATH
• Dr. Amit Kapoor, Honorary Chairman, Institute for Competitiveness
• Dr. Zelalem Taffesse, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Field Office for Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka
• Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee, Managing Director, Wadhwani Foundation
• Dr. Monika Kochar, Advisor (Health), DAKSHIN – Global South Centre of Excellence
• Dr. Pooja Sehgal, Country Lead - Health and Nutrition Communications at the Gates Foundation
  

From Policy to Impact: Food Systems & Integrated Nutrition Approaches to Tackle Micronutrient Deficiencies

GIZ and PATH
April 27 |13:30 PM-15:00 PM

Large-scale food fortification (LSFF) presents a cost-effective and sustainable strategy to address micronutrient malnutrition by ensuring essential nutrients in staple foods. Through successful case studies, the session will provide actionable recommendations to integrate LSFF into national food security strategies. It will also highlight pathways for aligning fortification efforts with broader nutrition and public health goals.

Speakers:

• Ankur Mutreja, Director – Strategy, Partnerships and Communications; Head – Nutrition, PATH
• Natia Mgeladze, Global Lead, Food Safety, Food Loss Prevention and Food Fortification Advisory, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
• Neha Khara, Advisor and Program Manager, Food Security, GIZ
• Ruchika Sachdeva, Lead, Nutrition, Gates Foundation
• Supreet Kaur, Head Policy, Programs, and External Relations, GAIN India
• Varsha Tanu, Associate Professor, IIHMR University
• Danie Shajie, Technical Lead-Food Fortfication, PATH

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Transformative Drug Discovery and Development

DnDi and PATH
April 27 |15.15 PM - 16.45 PM

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing how new medicines are discovered and developed. To maintain India’s global leadership in the pharmaceutical sector, it is important to embrace AI and the latest innovations in drug discovery. This panel discussion will bring together experts from academia and industry to explore how AI transforms drug development and what needs to be done to fully harness its potential.

Speakers:

• Tushar Zade, Chief Information & Chief Digital Officer, Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services Limited
• Sonali Das, Senior Director – Data Science Application, TCG Lifesciences
• Dr. Shandar Ahmad, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
• Krishna Kumar S, Assistant General Manager, Gennova Biopharmaceuticals
• Resham Sethi, Senior Program Officer – Digital Health, South Asia, PATH
• Mandar Vaidya, Vice President, Operations, DiagnoSearch Life Sciences
• Dr. Kavita Singh , Asia Continental lead & Director South Asia, Drug for Neglected Diseases Initiative
• Mousumi Mondal, Head – Business Development, Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative
  

PATH delegates also spoke at the following critical discussions.

Neeraj Jain spoke at "Climate and Health Nexus in India: Pathways, Practices, and Transformative Solutions" and joined the High-Level Panel titled "From Primary Health Care Vision to Reality: Embedding a Collective Learning Agenda Alongside Health System Reforms."

Sameer Kanwar spoke at "Digitalization: Role as a Transformative Catalyst in High Risk Pregnancy for Optimizing Maternal Healthcare" and at "Defining Scale in Digital Health: Lessons, Innovations, and Partnerships for Advancing Health Equity."

Ankur Mutreja spoke at "Economic Insights and Health Equity: Fostering Resilience in Vulnerable Populations."

Satyabrata Routray joined the session "Kala-azar Free Future: India’s Story of Success and Sustainability,” and "South East Roundtable on TB Vaccine R&D and Financing."

Resham Sethi spoke at "Health for All: Increasing Healthcare Access with Digital and AI."

Tanu Gupta spoke at the session titled "Do We Need a Master's in Digital Health?"

Jayendra Kasar participated in "Lancet Global Health Oxygen Commission: South Asia Launch."