Dr. John Beard:
FUTURE PERSPECTIVES FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF DISEASE BURDEN BY 2030: DISEASE CONTROL PRIORITIES IN LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES
John Beard, MBBS PhD, works with the World Health Organization in Geneva where he leads Departments addressing two key determinants of health. As Director of the Department of Ageing and Life Course, he is responsible for increasing international awareness of ageing as a driving force in shaping 21st century public health, and for assisting and guiding the international community to meet the challenges, and to realize the potential benefits, associated with the rapid ageing of their populations. As Director of the Department of Gender, Women and Health he is responsible for evidence-based policies and programmes to achieve gender equality and improve the health of women. These roles involve working with all levels of government, non-government organizations, civil society and academia in the 193 WHO member states, and with senior members of many international organizations.
Dr Beard is an Australian physician who started his career with an Aboriginal Medical Service, before holding a range of senior public health and academic roles in Australia, and the USA. He has published widely in the international literature and remains actively involved in several large international research studies. He has a particular interest in the influence of the physical, social and economic environments on health and their interactions with individual vulnerabilities. He is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Ageing, and the Advisory Board of the World Demographic & Ageing Forum.