PMAC 2025

The PMAC 2025:

‘Harnessing Technologies in an Age of AI to Build A Healthier World’

Rapid technological advancements, including those involving Artificial Intelligence (AI), are deemed essential tools for creating a healthier, more equitable, and peaceful world. Inventive use of technologies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 has demonstrated significant benefits, notably contributing to global environmental sustainability and biodiversity preservation. However, it is crucial to consider the potential risks associated with these innovations, such as security threats, misinformation, disinformation, inequitable access, and privacy invasion.

The PMAC 2025 will emphasize leveraging these technological advancements to ensure equitable, affordable, and comprehensive access for all populations, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and for resource-constrained individuals in high-income countries (HICs). The conference will also highlight the importance of synergizing technologies to strengthen health systems, achieve the SDGs, and foster a healthy planet. Key issues such as climate change, conflict, and emerging diseases will be addressed. The PMAC 2025 encompasses three sub-themes comprising (1) “Technological Innovations to Strengthen Health Systems and Achieve Universal Health Coverage”, (2) “Equity, Ethics, and Empowering the Vulnerable”, and (3) “Governance, Policy, and Stewardship”. The details of each Sub-Theme with its plenary (PL) and parallel (PS) sessions are summarized as follows.

This year, there are three main sub-themes for the PMAC 2025, including:

Sub-Theme 1

Technological Innovations to Strengthen Health Systems and Achieve Universal Health Coverage

Sub-Theme 2

Equity, Ethics, and Empowering the Vulnerable

Sub-Theme 3

Governance, Policy and Stewardship

Sub-theme 1: Technological Innovations to Strengthen Health Systems and Achieve Universal Health Coverage

The fourth industrial revolution is transforming healthcare with innovative technologies like AI, telehealth, Big Data analytics, and mobile health, which can enhance access, improve patient care, and promote self-management. These advancements support the global goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), though recent reports indicate the world is off-track to meet this goal by 2030. Despite the potential, barriers such as limited access to technology, data privacy concerns, and the risk of exacerbating inequities persist. Effective governance and international collaboration are essential to harness these technologies responsibly. This session offers a platform for global health practitioners to discuss these challenges and explore collaboration opportunities.

ST1 aims to harness innovative health technologies to improve public health and achieve Universal Health Coverage from a health systems perspective.

Potential ST1 Sessions include:
  • PL1: Technological Innovations for Healthier Populations, Strengthened Health Systems, and Universal Health Coverage
  • PS1.1: Tech-driven Solutions for Smart Spending
  • PS1.2: Tech-Empowered Health Workers
  • PS1.3: Expanding Tech-enabled Solutions for Service Delivery
  • PS1.4: Health Tech Rising: Youth Edition
  • PS1.5: Harnessing the Power of Data

Sub-theme 2: Equity, Ethics, and Empowering the Vulnerable

To ensure that the health benefits of technologies and AI can be equally shared across populations, existing biases in healthcare services and systems based on race, ethnicity, age, and gender, which are encoded in data used to train algorithms, must be overcome. Well-designed technology should ensure equitable access to all individuals, regardless of gender, ethnicity, geographical location, socioeconomic status, native language, or internet connectivity. Moreover, advancements in technology offer opportunities to improve healthcare delivery, they also pose risks to environmental sustainability – hence creating the need to recognize the interconnectedness between human health and the environment and consider planetary health in the development and deployment of healthcare technologies.

ST2 seeks to explore equity, gender, ethical and social issues to be considered that are critical for effectively harnessing the power of technologies to advance universal health coverage and realize the right to health for everyone.

Potential ST 2 Sessions include:
  • PL2: Ethical Technology: For Whom, by Whom, and for What Purposes
  • PS2.1: Reducing the Digital Divide: Ensuring an Enabling Environment for Equitable Technologies for All
  • PS2.2: Harnessing Tech to Achieve Equitable Health Outcomes
  • PS2.3: Our Tech Future and Implications for Society: Promise or Peril
  • PS2.4: Data is Power!: Confronting Data Colonialism, Ownership Issues and Hidden Biases
  • PS2.5: Digital Health Technologies in the Age of AI: Decoding The Climate-Health Nexus

Sub-theme 3: Governance, Policy and Stewardship

In the dynamic field of digital health and AI, strong governance, policy, and stewardship are essential for responsible and equitable implementation. Global frameworks promoting international collaboration and standardization are necessary, involving public and private sectors and civil society. A robust regulatory environment and effective data governance at the national level are crucial to protect data ownership, privacy, and sovereignty. These measures ensure the ethical and secure use of health data, mitigate risks, and build trust. Multilevel governance and collaboration will ensure that AI and digital health technologies contribute to improved health outcomes for all.

The main areas for further exploration under ST3 comprise global enabling ecosystem, national ecosystem, human capacity needs, and responsible use; cover the foundations for good governance, policy, and stewardship.

  • PL3: Governance Policy and Stewardship
  • PS3.1: Geopolitical Landscape
  • PS3.2: Data Governance
  • PS3.3: Articulating and Mitigating Risks of AI in Health
  • PS3.4: Preventing Asymmetries through Good Governance
  • PS3.5: National Governance

Guidelines

  • Abstract should not exceed 300 words in length.
  • The work may include scientific research, case studies, field experiences, policy development and implementation, etc. related to the conference theme and sub-themes.
  • Submission period: 15 Jun – 10 Aug 2024. The closing date for abstracts submission is 10 August 2024 at 4:00 pm Thailand local time (GMT+7).
  • All abstracts must be submitted electronically at the Conference website at https://pmac-2025.com/abstracts. Please follow the instructions provided in the online submission system.
  • Please indicate one Sub-theme that your abstract closely aligns with.

Review Criteria & Process

All abstracts will undergo a blind peer-review by the Abstract Reviewers (PMAC Independent International Scientific Committee) using the following selection criteria:

  • Demonstrating scientific and technical rigor with a sound methodology.
  • Having policy relevance and implications.
  • Making a strong contribution to the conference theme and sub-themes.
  • Preference will be given to abstracts that:
    - Are grounded in evidence-/solution-based practices, and
    - Inspire collective actions and changes for betterment of global health.
    - The decision of the Abstract Reviewers is final.

Successful Abstracts

  • Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to participate in the PMAC 2025 Conference, taking place during 31 January – 2 February 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand, either as presenters in sessions or for poster displays.
  • If accepted for presentation in sessions, authors may be required to adjust the scope of their presentations to align with the session objectives and format.
  • Presenters in sessions are required to submit a 2,000-word short paper on their selected abstract, which will be included in the conference documents. The deadline for short paper submission is 1 December 2024.

Funding Opportunity

  • Limited funding support for travel and accommodation is available for presenters whose abstract has been accepted, based on specific criteria.
  • Priority for funding will be given to authors whose abstracts have been selected for presentation in sessions, particularly from government, academic and NGOs representatives from developing countries.
  • If you would like to be considered for available scholarships, please indicate it in your submission.
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