Mo Farah, BioNTech, Moderna founders to address WISH 2022

WISH Keynote speakers

The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), the global health initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), has announced that British Olympic long-distance runner Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (Mo Farah), BioNTech co-founders Dr Ugur Sahin and Dr Özlem Türeci and Moderna co-founder Dr Noubar Afeyan will deliver keynote speeches at its upcoming global summit on October 4–6. Hailed as one of the most successful male long-distance runners of all time, with ten world championship medals including four gold medals at the Olympics, Mo Farah’s talk will examine the relationship between mental health and the pressures of competitive sports, and will draw on his own personal experiences. Farah will be speaking on day three of the summit ahead of a panel discussion on Mental Health and Sport. On day two of the summit, during a keynote session in line with the summit’s key theme of post-Covid-19 legacy, Dr Ugur Sahin and Dr Özlem Türeci, husband and wife co-founders of German startup company BioNTech, will be discussing the work that went into creating the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine and the importance of capitalising on the momentum generated by the development of their mRNA vaccine to advance medical science. Joining them is Dr Noubar Afeyan, co-founder of Moderna, the American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company that also developed a key vaccine for Covid-19. A serial entrepreneur, Dr Afeyan will be delivering his keynote address on the opening day of WISH 2022, and his talk will focus on the crucial nature of entrepreneurship and innovation in the healthcare industry, as well as the value of taking risks to address the major challenges faced by humanity. A returning voice at WISH 2022 is acclaimed Oscar-winning American actor and director, Morgan Freeman. Freeman was a keynote speaker at WISH 2020 and this year, he will narrate the summit’s opening film. WISH 2022 will see many more distinguished global policymakers and healthcare leaders join the ongoing conversations around some of the most urgent global healthcare challenges and discuss innovative solutions to address them. Along with uniting the world’s most influential thinkers and brilliant minds to advance the global discussion on pressing healthcare issues, WISH 2022 will provide healthcare entrepreneurs from 13 countries a global stage to showcase their innovations, network with the world leaders, and expand their startups.