Vaccines represent one of the most cost-effective interventions in the field of public health. From the eradication of smallpox to the reduction of mortality rates among children under five, vaccines have saved countless lives and fundamentally transformed humanity’s approach to combating infectious diseases.
On February 5th, Duke Kunshan’s Global Health Research Center will host the first “This is Global Health” symposium in Spring Semester 2026, featuring Professor David Makram Bishai (HKU) and Dr. Xiang Sun (Jiangsu CDC).
They will share science and stories from communicating the values of vaccines to running immunization programs on the ground, emphasizing the unique values of vaccines for both society and individuals.
Symposium Agenda
Time: 17:45-19:30, February 5, 2026
Venue: Academic Building 1087 (AB1087), Duke Kunshan University
Language: English
17:45–19:48 Welcome and opening remarks
Fujie Xu, Co-Director of Global Health Program and Professor, Duke Kunshan University
17:48–17:50 Introduction of the Speaker
Xiaoyu Bai, Candidate for Master of Science in Global Health, Class of 2027
17:50–18:20 Keynote SpeechTopic: Understanding and Communicating the Value of Vaccines to Multiple Stakeholders
David Makram Bishai, Clinical Professor in Public HealthDirector of the School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong
18:20–18:50 Keynote SpeechTopic:A Day in the Life of An Immunization Officer
Xiang Sun, Chief Public Health Physician, Immunization Department of Jiangsu Disease Prevention and Control Center
18:50–19:25 Panel Discussion and Q&A with audience
Moderator:
Zhangyang Pan, Associate Director for Communication and Advocacy,VaxLab/GHRC
Panelists:
Prof. David Bishai
Clinical Professor in Public Health
Director of the School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong
Xiang Sun
Chief Public Health Physician, Immunization Department of Jiangsu Disease Prevention and Control Center
19:25-19:30 Wrap up and Group Photo
Meet the Speakers
David Makram Bishai
Director and Clinical Professor, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong
Professor David Bishai is Clinical Professor in Public Health and Director of the School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong. Prior to joining HKU, Professor Bishai had served as Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for 27 years and served in the Maryland Department of Health as a local health officer in 2021. A leading health economist, his research focuses on the performance and financing of global public health activities, primary healthcare, vaccines, and health disparities. He is the author of three books and more than 270 peer-reviewed scientific publications. His award-winning courses on systems thinking and health economics have reached over 60,000 students. He is a Past President of the International Health Economics Association and the 2021 winner of the Sharmanov Prize in Primary Health Care. Professor Bishai maintains certification by both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard in Philosophy and Physics, his Masters in Public Health from the University of California at Los Angeles, his Medical Doctorate from the University of California at San Diego, and his Doctor of Philosophy from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Xiang Sun
Chief Physician & Master’s Supervisor, Immunization Program, Jiangsu CDC
Xiang Sun, Doctor of Public Health, is a Chief Physician and Master’s Supervisor at the Department of Immunization Program of the Jiangsu CDC, as well as a former visiting scholar at Heidelberg University in Germany. With 15 years of dedicated experience in immunization planning, his work focuses on the prevention and control of vaccine-related diseases and vaccine clinical trials. He has led over 10 research projects at national, provincial, and departmental levels, published 40 papers in Chinese and English in the past five years, and serves as an editorial board member for several journals and a member of national-level professional working groups.
About “This is Global Health! Monthly Symposium Series”
Since 2014, the Global Health Research Center (GHRC) has organized a series of global health symposium events, inviting leaders, scientists, and industry experts in the global health field to exchange information on the latest research progress, international and domestic development trends, and global health education and practice. By January 2026, GHRC had successfully hosted 204 seminars.
