Lord Mayor of London event: exploring solutions for global health and wellbeing

Leaders from a variety of sectors convened at Mansion House to discuss innovative solutions for advancing global health.

On Wednesday, leading figures from academia, healthcare, industry, and the non-profit sector gathered at Mansion House to explore one of the world’s most pressing challenges: achieving the United Nations’ third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) – good health and wellbeing for all.

Co-hosted by Imperial and MQ Mental Health Research, the event featured quick-fire presentations from experts, each given four minutes to showcase their innovative solutions to this global health challenge. Tackling the root causes of poor health, including the stigma surrounding illnesses and socioeconomic barriers to healthcare, speakers offered new approaches to diagnosing, treating, and preventing a wide range of conditions.

The event was part of the Lord Mayor’s "Connect to Prosper" initiative, designed to showcase the UK's leadership in tackling global challenges through discussion and collaboration.

Eight speakers shared their initiatives:

Michael Reilly, Strategic Research Manager at Imperial’s Global Development Hub, emphasised the need for a systems thinking approach to make the Sustainable Development Goals truly sustainable. Imperial leads global efforts to address the SDGs, with research partnerships spanning 192 countries.

Mariana Bolivar, Research Lead at MQ Mental Health Research, highlighted the importance of addressing the underlying causes of poor mental health and wellbeing, including poverty, unemployment and lack of education. MQ collaborates with partners globally to fund research into mental health conditions, delivering critical advances in depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and eating disorders.

Charlotte Gredal, Scientific Manager at the Mohn Centre for Children’s Health and Wellbeing, discussed the centre’s transdisciplinary approach to addressing the complex health issues faced by young people in urban environments. The Mohn Centre actively involve children and young people to help shape and design the centre’s research priorities.

Professor Jane Anderson, Consultant Physician and Director of the Centre for the Study of Sexual Health and HIV at Homerton Hospital, focuses on advances in HIV treatment, highlighting that stigma remains a significant barrier to treatment. Her work is aimed at dismantling these barriers to ensure better access to care and preventative treatment. 

Derrick Mason, Founder of MindFlow Academy, shared his personal journey from serving time in the prison system to becoming a mentor and workshop facilitator. Drawing from his own experiences, he now works with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds to help them break through mental barriers and realise their own potential. Derrick underscored the importance of involving individuals with lived experience in the design of healthcare research and interventions to create meaningful change.

Dr Carolina Rosadas de Oliveria, Research Fellow in Imperial’s Department of Infectious Disease, showcased her research on HTLV-1, a virus prevalent in lower-income countries that can lead to an aggressive form of blood cancer and neurological disorders. Caroline’s research led to a national testing programme in Brazil to prevent mother-to-child transmission, and she works with the World Health Organisation to strengthen a global response to the virus.

Clement Favier, Co-Founder of Go Assistive Technology, an Imperial spin out social enterprise, is on a mission to create a new global standard in prosthetics. There is a pressing need for devices that are durable, affordable and can function in difficult terrains. His organisation co-designs these devices with users and runs production lines in both Europe and Africa, providing local employment while expanding global access to prosthetics.

Professor Tony Markus, Emeritus Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon at Poole Hospital and Chair of Future Faces, outlined the charity’s work in training healthcare professionals to deliver high-quality cleft lip and palate care in regions where access to surgery is often limited. Future Faces provides support to surgeons in India, Nepal and Tanzania, and is developing virtual reality tools for enhanced training programmes.

A theme that ran through each initiative was the power of collaboration in addressing major global health challenges. The event highlighted the importance of transdisciplinary approaches and the impact of involving local communities and individuals with lived experience in the shaping future healthcare solutions.

Go Assistive Technology is currently raising their first equity round of £500k to support the commercial launch of their first product. Angel investors and early-stage impact funds have already joined the round, but there is still time to take part in this journey to deliver mobility to people with limb loss globally. Get in touch here if you want to know more investors@goassistivetech.com