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2025 Asia-Pacific Health Promotion and Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Prevention Workshop (August 26–27, 2025)
The Taiwan Association for Global Health Initiatives (TAGHI), in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health Collaborating Centres for Health Promotion (APACPH CCHP) and the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, successfully hosted the 2025 Asia-Pacific Health Promotion and Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Workshop on August 26–27 at the College of Public Health, National Taiwan University. The workshop is held with additional support from the Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Population Health Sciences at the National Health Research Institutes, and the Federation of Public Health Student Associations in Taiwan.
This workshop brought together more than 160 participants from 12 nations — including Japan, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam, Ghana, and Ukraine — alongside officials and scholars from four countries who served as distinguished speakers, including Dr. Akila Andiappan, Deputy Director of the Screening and Management Division at Singapore’s Health Promotion Board; Professor Takahiro Higashi from the Department of Public Health and Health Policy at the University of Tokyo; Dr. Yumi Oh, Director of the Department of Health Risk Prevention at the Korea Health Promotion Institute; Dr. Shi-Lun Wei, Deputy Director-General of Taiwan’s Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare; Dr. Han-Mo Chiu, Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at National Taiwan University College of Medicine; and Professor Hsiu-Hsi Chen from the Institute of Health Data Analytics and Statistics at National Taiwan University. This two-day program served as a platform for in-depth exchange on colorectal cancer screening and national screening policies, furthering TAGHI’s mission to strengthen cross-national collaboration and expand the visibility of our region’s public health leadership.
APACPH CCHP and TAGHI
Since its establishment in 1984, APACPH has been the leading academic consortium for public health in the Asia-Pacific region and a key policy think tank for many ministries of health. In 2017, under APACPH’s framework, Dr.Hung-Yi Chiou, Dr.Betty Ya-Wen Chiu, and Taiwan Health Promotion Administration established the Collaborating Centres for Health Promotion (CCHP) as a regional platform for training and education. The CCHP, together with its partner countries, signed the Taipei Declaration, committing to advancing health promotion across the Asia-Pacific region. To date, CCHP has organized more than 32 international conferences, forums, and workshops, consolidating its position as a hub for capacity building and professional exchange.
Dr. Hung-Yi Chiou, President of TAGHI, currently serves as APACPH President-Elect and Vice President of Finance. Dr. Betty Ya-Wen Chiu, Secretary-General of TAGHI, has served as the APACPH Taiwan Regional Director since 2016 and was elected Vice President-1 in 2022 (re-elected in October 2023). Both are members of the APACPH Executive Council Meeting (ECM), actively contributing to the organization’s key decision-making processes.
Event Highlights
On the first day, discussions focused on colorectal cancer prevention and health promotion from both policy and practice perspectives. Singapore highlighted its Healthier Singapore Initiative to boost screening coverage and ensure timely follow-up. Korea presented its Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach, stressing cross-sectoral governance that integrates health with land planning, environment, and private-sector engagement. Japan underscored flexible, patient-centered approaches to build trust and enhance health literacy. Taiwan showcased its achievements in colorectal cancer screening while underlining the need to strengthen risk stratification and precision screening, aligned with the national goals of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s “Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee. ”
The second day opened with a forward-looking presentation by Professor Hsiu-Hsi Chen, who proposed integrating metaverse technology into precision prevention for colorectal cancer screening. This was followed by insights from Singapore on scaling up national screening strategies, Korea’s review of its National Cancer Control Plan, and Japan’s comparative policy perspectives, highlighting the importance of aligning clinical practice with policy planning. The program concluded with a roundtable forum moderated by Professor Hsiu-Hsi Chen and TAGHI President Dr. Hung-Yi Chiou, where international experts joined Taiwan’s Deputy Director-General of the Health Promotion Administration, Dr. Shi-Lun Wei, in an in-depth dialogue on advancing cancer prevention and public health strategies across borders.
In closing, Secretary-General of TAGHI, Dr. Betty Ya-Wen Chiu, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Health Promotion Administration for its longstanding support, as well as the dedication of long-term partners and new collaborators. She emphasized that the workshop not only enriched professional knowledge but also strengthened Taiwan’s leadership in the Asia-Pacific region. She urged participants to carry forward the momentum, continuing the shared mission of advancing health promotion and non-communicable disease prevention in the region.