Talking Healthcare

The 45th IHF World Hospital Congress is a unique global forum that brings together IHF Members and leaders of hospitals, health services, and healthcare organizations. Providing an invaluable networking opportunity for leaders in healthcare, the themes chosen for each congress focus on the biggest trends and common issues in the sector. Expert-led sessions are complemented by workshops, breakouts, scientific posters, and exhibitors from across the industry. It’s a hive of knowledge exchange, collaboration, and innovation – a chance to gather our international community to focus on what healthcare leaders can learn from each other to improve service delivery at home. For this episode, Dr Farida, chair of the Scientific Committee, invited members of the Scientific Committee to share their experience working together on the formulation of the Congress program. Dr Abdullatif and Ryan also shared their expectations for the upcoming congress. Dr. Farida AlKhaja Chief Executive Officer, Clinical Support Services & Nursing Sector, Dubai Health Authority, United Arab Emirates Farida Alkhaja is working in Dubai Health Authority for the past 25 years. She is leading six core services in DHA, Pharmacy services, Pathology & Genetics services, Clinical Nutrition services, Diagnostic Imaging services, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation services and Nursing services. AlKhaja has received her Bachelor degree of Pharmacy Sciences from Cairo University in Egypt in the year 1996. Dr. Abdullatif Saad Alokifi Assistant of Director General for GD of Hospital Affairs, Ministry of Health, Saudi ArabiaDr. Abdullatif Alokifi is the Assistant of Director General for General Administration of Hospital Affairs, the General Supervisor of Wazen Program and the Chairman of Hospital Commissioning Unit at Saudi Ministry of Health, KSA. Coordinator for IHF. He used to be the Director of Strategic Planning and Operation in General Administration of Quality and Patient Safety at Saudi Ministry of Health, KSA. Ryan Keiler Associate Director, Standards Development and Interpretation, Joint Commission InternationalRyan Keiler serves as an Associate Director of Standards Development and Interpretation for The Joint Commission International. In this role, Mr. Keiler serves on work groups, task forces, and committees to support the development and re-development of international accreditation standards and interpretations.

One of the biggest ‘service shifts’ in the healthcare sector since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the widespread adoption of telehealth. As well as being a viable option to provide continuity of care and treatment to patients during the coronavirus pandemic, telehealth has transformed how health systems can respond to chronic workforce shortages and optimise their clinical capacities. So for our first Talking Healthcare podcast in 2022, we have invited Sharon Allen and Dr. Amit Tahkker to discuss the challenges and opportunities of telehealth for Africa’s diverse healthcare systems. About the Speakers: Sharon Allen, Co-founder and Executive Director of World Telehealth Initiative (WTI) As Executive Director of the World Telehealth Initiative (WTI), Sharon has engaged with the American Telehealth Association, the White House Telehealth Innovation Summit, Nigeria’s Healthcare Today – Keynote, MENA Telehealth Conference, Telehealth Innovator’s Forum, AAFP Global Health Summit, and more. Under Sharon’s leadership, WTI has developed an innovative model that leverages remote philanthropic physicians to provide sustainable medical expertise via telehealth. Moreover, Sharon has been selected to serve on the World Health Organization Digital Health Board of Advisors and Roster of Experts. She is currently working with WHO on their Telehealth Roadmap for the Underserved. Dr. Amit N. Thakker, President of the Africa Healthcare Federation Amit is the President of Africa Healthcare Federation, the immediate past-Chairman of Kenya Healthcare Federation and has served as a Director at LumiraDx, Seven Seas Technology, AMREF Flying Doctors, Action Aid and Ghanima Limited. Dr. Thakker actively supports governments, corporates, health organisations and development partners to foster effective public-private partnership initiatives towards improved health outcomes. As an active member of several institutions including international business group YPO Gold (Nairobi Chapter), Dr. Thakker also chairs the University of Nairobi Alumni Medical Chapter and serves as an advisor to Asia Africa Investing & Consulting Ltd, Coalition for Blood in Africa (CoBA) and Ministry of Health, Kenya.

Violence against healthcare has been a recurrent problem over the years across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic has appeared to worsen the situation, with a documented increase of incidents in many countries Since 2015 the International Hospital Federation is strongly involved in the Healthcare in Danger initiative of the International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent advocating for the safety of health personnel and protection of healthcare around the globe. Robyn, Ana and Paul sat down to disucss how we can resolve violence in healthcare. About the Speakers: Ana Elisa Barbar Adviser on issues of violence against healthcare at International Committee of the Red Cross Dr. Robyn Begley Chief Executive Officer at American Organization for Nursing Leadership Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer at American Hospital Association Paul Sarnese Assistant Vice President for Safety, Security and Emergency Preparedness at Virtua Health Inc, United States

In this episode, hosted by Linda Clark, Director of Professional Development at the IHF, we explore how people centered care (PCC) is at the core of global efforts to transform health. Alan Dubovsky (Vice President and Chief Patient Experience Officer, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles) and Vera Vertessen (Director of Patient Care, Brussels University Hospital) share real examples of how their hospitals make care more personal and compassionate.Tune in to hear how listening to patients, removing barriers, and simple ideas, like giving patients a place to connect with their pets, can make a big difference.

In this episode, hosted by Linda Clark, Director of Professional Development at the IHF, we step into the poster hall to explore the art and impact of poster presentations. Mauricio Alves (Deputy of the Board of Directors, Unidade Local de Saúde), Angels Gonzalez (CSR Department, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona), and Panagiotis Minogiannis (General Manager, Onassis Hospital, Athens) share their experiences and insights on how presenting an impactful poster at the IHF World Hospital Congress can amplify ideas, foster collaboration, and drive change across the global healthcare community.Tune in to hear more about the breadth and depth of the Congress knowledge and how the posters represent a significant contribution to the content of our programme.

In this episode, chaired by Prof. Idris Guessous, Head of the Division of Primary Care medicine and Center of Innovation at University Hospital of Geneva, three outstanding leaders in global healthcare discuss the upcoming 48th World Hospital Congress taking place in Geneva in 2025.  Sara Siegel, Global Head of Healthcare at Deloitte UK, Bertrand Levrat, Group Chief Operating Officer of Mediclinic, and Dr Peter Pronovost, Chief Quality & Clinical Transformation Officer at University Hospitals USA share insights on their journeys in healthcare, on how the World Hospital Congress empowers healthcare leaders to make progress in their own communities, and more. Tune in to hear more about how Congress is built around one powerful principle, sharing knowledge across borders can drive meaningful improvement in hospital leadership and health outcomes.

In this episode we featured Hospital Estadual de Dermatologia Sanitária Colônia Santa Marta (HDS), Brazil, the 2024 gold winner of the Excellence Award for Clinical Quality and Patient Safety - an Award which recognizes hospitals and health service providers who demonstrate excellence or outstanding achievements in advancing clinical quality.Dr Lawrence Lai, Chairman of the Awards Committee, sat down with Thiago Delano Bernardes, Home Care Service Supervisor of HDS. The award winning project, Home Care Services started as an answer to the problem of hospital congestions and long term stay hospitalizations. Thiago shares how their teams visit patients in their homes to provide compassionate and personalized care. Tune in to hear more about it.

This year marks the 10th year anniversary of the IHF Awards. This annual programme has been recognizing excellent projects, programmes, and services of hospitals and health services providers across the globe. In this episode, hosted by Dr Lawrence Lai, Chairman of the Awards Committee, we spotlight the 2024 Gold Winner of the Excellence Award for Leadership and Management. The Gold winner is Indonesia's leading cardiovascular specialty hospital, the National Cardiovascular Center Harapan Kita. With a vital mission of fostering a cardiovascular referral network for more than 500 regional general hospitals, this institution has set a benchmark in healthcare leadership.   In this engaging videocast, Dr Iwan Dakota, President Director of National Cardiovascular Center Harapan Kita in Indonesia. shares insights about their winning programme for the Excellence Award for Leadership and Management.

In this special YEL2024 podcast, listen in to an in-depth discussion full of personal reflections and insights into what gender equity in the healthcare sector means to today’s female leaders. Our three panellists enjoy a rich exchange about issues that draw on their lived experiences, the positive progress over the last 20 years, and how leadership teams can further advance gender equity through policies and practices.

As generations evolve, so do too the challenges and expectations awaiting our future leaders. The expectations that future leaders have are also vastly different than their predecessors. In this episode, Pedro Delgado, Vice President at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in the UK sat down with Dr Lee, Chairman and CEO of Myongji Medical Foundation and Sidney Klajner, President of Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo. Together they answered questions such as “How do we capture the wisdom and experience of now and carry it into the future? Why is intergenerational leadership important? Tune in to for an interesting and insightful conversation on the importance of intergenerational leadership and the ways we can bridge the gap between past and contemporary ways of working and expectations.

IHF’s Global Rare Paediatric Disease Network is a community for IHF members working in rare paediatric disease to share experiences and best practices to improve the services provided to children and their families around the globe. In this episode, Barbara Walczyk-Joers, President and CEO at Gillette Children's Specialty Health Care sat down with Ee Shien Tan, head of Clinical Genetics in Care Women's and Children's Hospital in Singapore and Heini Kanervo, rare diseases coordinator at University Hospital Brussels. In this engaging podcast, they discuss the challenges and opportunities for the adoption of AI in all aspects of hospital management. What are the specific considerations when it comes to rare paediatric disease? Tune into a fascinating discussion with members of the IHF’s Global Rare Paediatric Disease Network to find out.

This year, the IHF is bringing the 47th edition of the World Hospital Congress to the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Bringing to life the concept of "global learning, local action", this is the second time that Rio is hosting the Congress, which was last held in Brazil in 2009. What can healthcare leaders from the region, and across the globe, gain from participating in such an event? In this special Portuguese-language episode, we invited Dr Adelvânio F. Morato, President of the Brazilian Hospital Federation, as well as the Congress Scientific Committee Co-chairs, Dr Graccho Alvim Neto, who is Director of the Association of Hospitals of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and Ms Gilvane Lolato, the Operational Manager at Brazil’s National Accreditation Organization, to share their reflections on the importance of leaders from around the world learning from each other, their insights into organizing the Congress – and to give us a taste of what attendees can expect in Rio.

Climate change has a direct and increasingly damaging impact on both the health of communities and healthcare delivery. Luckily, the healthcare sector has many opportunities to reduce its negative environmental impact while contributing to better health for all. We have taken the occasion of Earth Day - 22 April - to record a special episode of our podcast focusing on the role of hospitals in relation to environmental sustainability, a natural fit with their leading role in their communities and as champions of health. At the IHF World Hospital Congress 2023 in Lisbon, the plenary session on sustainability in healthcare triggered a lot of queries from the audience. In this episode, we are delighted to welcome two healthcare leaders who will speak at our IHF Congress 2024 to answer some of these questions, in particular: Cost is perceived as a barrier, but does going green help to reduce operating costs and how do we ensure it is a budgeting priority?Often "sustainability" is viewed as an issue about buildings and energy - how do we balance the conversation to include clinical care?Data doesn't need to be a barrier: how can hospital leaders approach measuring and benchmarking as part of their strategy?

The IHF Awards dates back to 2015, when the programme was launched at the 39th IHF World Hospital Congress in Chicago. In this episode we featured Alder Hey Children NHS Foundation Trust, winner of the 2023 Excellence Award for Healthcare Workers Wellbeing - an award that recognizes outstanding achievements in ensuring the wellbeing of healthcare workers through innovative projects, programs or services. Alder Hey Children NHS Foundation Trust's winner programme stands out for supporting and offering care for all staff. It is a service that is led by staff for staff, using compassion as a framework. Dr Lawrence Lai, Honorary Member of IHF, sat down with Dr Jo Potier, Associate Director of Organisational Development at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Listen now and be inspired by Alder Hey Children NHS Foundation Trust's commitment to connect people to each other and to promote a culture that helps staff thrive at work.

As part of our Big Data Roadmap - a roadmap that leads you step by step through the design and delivery of a strategy to use Big Data in your healthcare organization - this episode focuses on the key issues relating to data collection for hospital leaders. Dr Sujoy Kar, member of the Big Data SIG steering committee sat down with Joseph Thekkath from the Joint Commission. Together, they adress questions such as what's the purpose of collecting data? How do you quantify it? What is the role of emerging technologies? Listen to this episode to learn more about all of this!

International Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of March each year – a campaign to raise awareness of gender inequity issues.In this episode, Dr Sangita Reddy from Apollo Hospitals India sat down with Dr Sawsan Abdel-Razig and Dr Pascale Anglade, both from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and long-standing members of the Women in Leadership SIG steering committee. Dr Sangita Reddy shares with us some inspirational stories on how women's equity has come to occupy such an important place in her life. She talks about the importance of creating a strong and supportive ecosystem and of having a transformative purpose in life – among many other things.

Across the IHF’s network, we believe that well-managed hospitals improve health outcomes for everyone, everywhere. Strong leadership skills are fundamental to healthcare management. And, in an increasingly international setting, benefitting from shared knowledge and experience can transform organizational performance. Since 2019, the IHF has offered an annual programme for selected young executives to improve their management and leadership skills, and to network internationally. Between February and September participants attend a series of masterclasses in key healthcare leadership areas. Small group work to complete topical assignments are an opportunity for the selected young executives to share their insights across our global community. The capstone experience for participants is attending the annual World Hospital Congress, where they graduate to the YEL Alumni network. In this episode, Taylor Johansen (YEL 2021), sat down with other YEL Alumni to talk about their experience and about how the programme helped them in their career journey.

In partnership with Healthcare UK, this 3-part podcast series will showcase the best of British innovation in our UK NHS services in the run-up to IHF’s World Hospital Congress in Lisbon in October. The Healthcare UK team, part of the Department for Business and Trade, works jointly with the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England to empower UK healthcare providers to do business overseas. This final episode covers innovative approaches to care in the community and digital health in the UK. It showcases successful innovations that have had a positive impact in the UK and the hurdles and challenges faced along the way. If you want to hear more, come and meet Healthcare UK at the World Health Congress, where they are running the symposium ‘Bridging the mental health care gap: lessons for hospital and healthcare leaders’ and the roundtable discussion ‘How innovations in early diagnostics and intervention solutions are being implemented into the NHS and improving the efficiency of cancer care in the UK’.

IHF's Young Executive Leaders is an annual programme for selected young executives to improve their management and leadership skills and network internationally. Between May and November, participants attend a series of masterclasses in key healthcare leadership areas. Small group work to complete topical assignments are an opportunity for the selected young executives to share their insights across our global community. The capstone experience for participants is attending the annual World Hospital Congress, where they graduate to the YEL Alumni network. In this podcast, YEL 2023 Working Group 7 discussed the issues related to attracting, recruiting, and retaining skilled staff. They also covered the strategies for risk mitigation in the HR area related to challenges such: • ensuring an effective and efficient workforce, ready to adapt to new challenges • efficient upskilling of the current workforce, • prevention of wage theft by individuals and organisations alike

In partnership with Healthcare UK, this 3-part podcast series will showcase the best of British innovation in our UK NHS services in the run-up to IHF’s World Hospital Congress in Lisbon in October. The Healthcare UK team, part of the Department for Business and Trade, works jointly with the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England to empower UK healthcare providers to do business overseas. This second episode discusses pilot testing of innovations and how they are implemented and scaled-up in the NHS. The speakers also discussed how products are currently being tested, how their impact is measured and then adopted into the NHS. We’ll also cover what we can learn from failures in this process. If you want to hear more, come and meet Healthcare UK at the World Health Congress, where they are running the symposium ‘Bridging the mental health care gap: lessons for hospital and healthcare leaders’ and the roundtable discussion ‘How innovations in early diagnostics and intervention solutions are being implemented into the NHS and improving the efficiency of cancer care in the UK’.