IntraHealth International, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the Japan Center for International Exchange will host SwitchPoint Shibuya—a globally-curated event focused on inventive approaches to solving health challenges in Africa. The August 31st event will feature talks and performances, interactive microlabs, and a networking reception.  

The conference will take place at state-of-the-art creative incubator EDGEof in the heart of Shibuya, Tokyo, just days after the Seventh Tokyo Conference on African Development, where IntraHealth will host an official side event.  

Humanitarian experts and innovators from around the world gather every April in Saxapahaw, North Carolina, for IntraHealth's annual SwitchPoint conference. SwitchPoint brings together hundreds of leaders in global health, humanitarian response, technology, media, and more to report on new advances in social good and create unexpected collaborations across industries.  

Over the course of the last year, SwitchPoint has expanded to include a series of smaller, locally- focused international gatherings—most recently in Ghana and Rwanda. In August, SwitchPoint will make its first appearance in Asia at the crossroads of the world in central Tokyo, Japan.  

Speakers and performers include:

Haruna, an unprecedented record holder and winner of the two most prestigious pole dance championships held in Japan and various major titles abroad.

Dai Hozumi, IntraHealth's chief technical officer. 

Janet Muriuki, a medical doctor and public health specialist with over 15 years of experience in the health sector who serves as the technical director and deputy chief of party for IntraHealth's USAID-funded Human Resources for Health Kenya project. 

Beverly Mutundi, a genomic scientist, social entrepreneur and cofounder of Sophie Bot, a thriving startup that uses artificial intelligence to answer young people’s questions about sexual health through a mobile chat application.   

Olivia Ngou, a former United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria and founder of Impact Santé Afrique, focusing on advocacy, communications, and capacity building of local civil society health organizations. 

Nicholas Niwagaba, a Ugandan health advocate improving the quality of life for young people living with HIV in Uganda through a youth advocacy movement.

Zolelwa Sifumba, a medical doctor from Durban, South Africa and an activist working to beat tuberculosis. 

Steloo, a Ghanaian DJ, sound, and fashion artist who has broken boundaries with his live art performances in the capital city of Accra, Ghana. 

Touchy, a performance artist and “Human Camera,” with a broad interest in device art, interactive art, kinetics, installation, video, and animation. 

Tickets are available to the public now. More details and information can be found here. 

 

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