Annual Meeting of the World Health Summit Academic Alliance and the 2025 WHS Regional Meeting Held in New Delhi with the Participation of Tehran University of Medical Sciences Representatives

According to the International Relations Office of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), the Annual Meeting of the World Health Summit (WHS) Academic Alliance and the 2025 WHS Regional Meeting were held from April 25 to 27, 2025, hosted by NIMS University and co-organized by Ashoka University and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India.

The TUMS delegation included Dr. Kurosh Jafarian and Dr. Alireza Oliyaei Manesh (Vice-Chancellors for International Affairs and Public Health), Dr. Abbas Ostadi Taghizadeh (Head of the Department of Disaster Health, School of Public Health - attending in person), and Dr. Amirhossein Takian (President's Representative at the WHS and Board Member of the WHS Academic Alliance - attending online).

The Academic Alliance Annual Meeting was held one day prior to the regional WHS event with the participation of 30 prominent universities and research institutions worldwide. Prof. Axel R. Pries, President of the WHS, and Prof. Balvir S. Tomar, Founder and President of NIMS University, welcomed participants and outlined the main topics and structure of the regional summit.

One of the key highlights was the approval of new members including Ashoka University (India) and Fiocruz (Brazil) to the WHS Academic Alliance. The candidacy of the Cochrane Organization was also discussed. Dr. Takian and his colleagues presented a special report on refugees and climate change, currently in preparation.

In another segment, a draft resolution authored by Dr. Takian and team, addressing the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), was reviewed and ultimately approved.

The 2025 WHS Regional Meeting focused on “Expanding Access to Ensure Equity in Health” with in-depth discussions on digital health and AI, global health, health diplomacy, leadership, peace, innovation, and communication in healthcare.

Key themes included climate change resilience, sustainable development in healthcare systems, and equity in health — especially through international funding partnerships in South and Southeast Asia. India’s strength in the IT sector was emphasized, particularly in relation to innovation and digital health transformation.

The TUMS delegation met with Dr. Sanjeev Arora, President of Project ECHO — a non-profit promoting equity in health, education, and development through advanced digital platforms. Discussions focused on potential membership for TUMS and collaborative opportunities.

In New Delhi, the team also visited the International Institute of Health Management Research and met with its director, Dr. Nidhi Yadav. Drs. Jafarian, Oliyaei Manesh, and Ostadi Taghizadeh introduced TUMS, the National Institute for Health Research, and the School of Public Health, emphasizing capacities in research, education, and collaboration.

Given the existing MoU between TUMS and the Institute, both parties expressed interest in expanding academic exchanges, joint research projects, and hosting short- and long-term training programs.

Later, the TUMS delegation traveled to Jaipur in Rajasthan and toured NIMS University, the primary host of the 2025 WHS Regional Meeting. They met with Prof. Balvir S. Tomar and the university’s international office to share academic and research strengths and internationalization achievements.

Established in 2008, NIMS University is a private institution offering a wide range of programs in medical and non-medical fields, with a significant number of international students. It hosts faculties and research centers in medicine, public health, biomedical sciences, allied health, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy.

TUMS has been a member of the WHS Academic Alliance since 2017 and hosted the 7th WHS Regional Meeting in 2019 on Kish Island, Iran.