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In this episode, chaired by Thomas Dakin, Programme Lead at the Geneva Sustainability Centre and a member of this year's Congress Scientific Committee, three outstanding leaders in global healthcare discuss the upcoming 49th World Hospital Congress taking place in Seoul in 2026. Dr Wang-Jun Lee, President-Designate of the International Hospital Federation, Prof. Whiejong Han, Professor of the Graduate School of Public Health at Yonsei University in South Korea, and Ms Kyung Eun Lee, Chair and CEO of Keyo Medical Foundation in South Korea, explore the vision behind this year's Congress, the key themes shaping the scientific programme, and what delegates can look forward to when they arrive in Korea. Tune in to hear more about the most exciting features of Congress and the reasons that make South Korea the right place to host it.

In this episode, chaired by Dr Lawrence Lai, Chairman of the 2026 IHF Awards Committee, two outstanding gold award winners in global healthcare discuss their groundbreaking sustainability initiatives recognized at the IHF Awards 2025. Nicola Groskops, Planetary Health Manager at Northern Sydney Local Health District, Australia, and Dr Paul Quitiquit, Medical Center Chief at Saint Louis University Sacred Heart Medical Center, Philippines, share insights on their journeys toward low-carbon and environmentally responsible healthcare, on how the IHF Awards empowers organizations to amplify their impact beyond their own communities, and more. Tune in to hear how an international recognition can inspire staff, influence peers, and prove that even the smallest sustainability efforts can make a meaningful difference on the global stage.

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.