Health is central to poverty reduction. It is a global public good and a fundamental element of social security, peace and economic stability. However, the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and their related public health targets are at risk due to rapidly increasing costs for delivering primary health care, weaknesses in health systems, the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, the emergence of new health threats, and rising global inequity. The thematic module aims to designing evidence-based health systems policies and interventions to address these challenges.

The three main research topics of the module are:

• Key steps toward inclusive social health protection (SHP) in developing countries
• Sustaining health gains while addressing emerging demographic and epidemiological changes
• Social determinants and equitable access to health

• Dr. Marjolein Dielemann, Royal Tropical Institute Amsterdam, the Netherlands (Review Panel President)
• Dr. Abbas Bhuiya, formerly International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
• Professor Dr. Claudia Binder, EPFL, Switzerland (SNSF Delegate)
• Dr. Andrew Cassels, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, formerly WHO, Switzerland
• Professor Dr. Tim Ensor, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
• Susanna Hausmann, Global Programme Health, SDC, Berne, Switzerland (SDC Delegate)
• Professor Dr. Joanna Schellenberg, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom
• Professor Dr. Soonman Kwon, Asian Development Bank, Philippines, and Seoul National University, South Korea

r4d Forum 2016 Public Healt​​​h, Switzerland, 17-18 March 2016