Strengthening Global Health Security Through Collaboration and Innovation
November 5, 2025
The Global Health Security Forum brought together public health practitioners, researchers, Indigenous leaders, and policymakers to explore emerging threats and opportunities in global health security.
Hosted by the UBC Centre for Disease Control in partnership with the BC Centre for Disease Control and the Pacific Public Health Foundation, the Forum created space for dialogue, shared learning, and collective action toward a more resilient and equitable global health future.
While the Forum took place in November 2025, its conversations and insights remain highly relevant to the ongoing work of strengthening public health preparedness, advancing health equity, and building resilient health systems.
About the Forum
The Forum examined the evolving landscape of global health security, including lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, how we can strengthen preparedness systems, and why equity, self-determination, and Indigenous rights must be central to global health security.
The program featured a keynote address, presentations from international, national, provincial, and local experts, and a panel discussion focused on priorities for building a resilient global health future.
The event took place on the traditional, ancestral and unceded homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Watch the Recordings
Opening Remarks
Opening Remarks
Naveed Janjua, Director, UBC Centre for Disease Control, and Jat Sandhu, Chief Strategy Officer, BC Centre for Disease Control
Keynote
Rethinking Global Health Security in the Post-COVID Crisis Era — Are We Better Prepared?
Maria D. Van Kerkhove, Director a.i., Epidemic and Pandemic Management, Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Programme, World Health Organization
Featured Presentations
Indigenous Health and Rights at the Forefront of Health Security
Shannon Waters, Deputy Provincial Health Officer, British Columbia
Public Trust and Health Security
Heidi J. Larson, Professor of Anthropology, Risk and Decision Science, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Misinformation and Tackling Misinformation — What Is Needed at the Global Scale
Tara Kirk Sell, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Johns Hopkins University
Data, Equity and Intelligence: Building Inclusive Surveillance Systems
Naveed Janjua, Director, UBC Centre for Disease Control, University of British Columbia
Are We Ready to Tackle Another Pandemic: Vaccine from Development to Uptake?
Natasha Crowcroft, Vice President, Infectious Diseases and Vaccination Programs, Public Health Agency of Canada
One Health Approach to Tackle Emerging Threats
Hung Nguyen-Viet, Regional Director Asia, International Livestock Research Institute
Panel Discussion
Where Do We Go From Here? Building a Resilient Global Health Future
Moderator:
Jat Sandhu, Chief Strategy Officer, BC Centre for Disease Control
Panelists:
- Maria D. Van Kerkhove, World Health Organization
- Natasha Crowcroft, Public Health Agency of Canada
- Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer, British Columbia
- Shannon Waters, Deputy Provincial Health Officer, British Columbia
- Réka Gustafson, Vice President, Population & Public Health and Chief Medical Health Officer, Island Health
- Erica Pan, Director and State Public Health Officer, California Department of Public Health
- Tara Kirk Sell, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Johns Hopkins University
- Stefan Raos, General Manager, Moderna Canada
Recording note
Recordings are hosted externally by the University of British Columbia and open in a separate window.
In keeping with Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish protocols, images, videos, and audio recordings of Coast Salish Knowledge Keeper Siem Te Ta-in (Dr. Shane Pointe) have been temporarily removed. This cultural practice honours his life, legacy, and spirit, while creating space for his family, loved ones, and community to heal. Content will be reinstated only with his family’s direction.