Disrupting global health to prevent the next pandemic

Speaker: Alex Dehgan

COVID-19 is estimated to have cost the global economy over $15 trillion dollars, but it is not the first such outbreak and it probably won’t be the last. A common defining feature of emerging infectious diseases is that they are triggered by anthropogenic changes to the environment. It is our misuse of the environment that brought us here. However, we can shift the focus from merely reacting to disease outbreaks to preventing their emergence. This requires a wholesale reconsideration of how we approach global health and development, and harnessing once-separate fields like conservation as a development tool with new technologies.

1,000 thinkers, doers, change-makers, and expert practitioners will converge in Washington for Devex 2022. Attendees of this unique global development event can expect a full day of inspiring, interactive, and collaborative sessions with one focus: turning ideas into action.