Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Health Services Management and Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Health Systems and Policies in Small States was recently invited to deliver the opening keynote address at the first European Symposium 'Global perspectives and local identities in healthcare architecture' organised by the International Academy for Design & Health.
The focus of this symposium, held between 28 and 30 March at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy, was Salutogenic Hospital Design and Urban Health. Dr Azzopardi-Muscat, who is currently the President of the European Public Health Association, spoke about Transformations in Contemporary Public Health. She highlighted how advances in health cannot be taken for granted by referring to the declining life expectancy being experienced in the United States and United Kingdom.
Dr Azzopardi-Muscat explained how new models of public health are required to address the global syndemics which are threatening to reverse the remarkable health gains achieved over the past decades. This requires public health to reach out to other professions including architects and urban planners to bring about a new health revolution based on designing healthy settings with particular attention to overcoming the burden of disease associated with obesity and mental illness.