International Society for Urban Health (ISUH)
2002
The International Society for Urban Health (ISUH) serves as a global crucible for thought leadership, interactive discussion forums, collaborative networks, dynamic conferences, and scholarly publications on urban health and urban health environments.
ISUH is the pioneer global organization bringing together experts from across academia, government, NGOs and business to improve the health of cities. The ISUH was founded in 2002 at The New York Academy of Medicine as an organization primarily concerned with building the field of urban health through its annual scientific meeting, the International Conference of Urban Health (ICUH). As the only nongovernmental global conference of its kind, the ICUH advances understanding and action to improve urban health by addressing its broad determinants. As such, ICUH is a critical platform for sharing lessons, both successes and problems, to promote learning and progress. Because more than half the world’s population lives in cities in all regions of the world, and since this number is increasing each year, the roles of the ISUH and ICUH in global health will only become more significant.
The ISUH is at an exciting point in its evolution. As recognition of the social, economic, and environmental determinants of health has grown, attendance at ICUH has expanded to include urban planners, architects, geographers, climate change scientists and others who recognize the value of collaborative research, policy and interventions that promote urban health. The ISUH has formed relationships with global organizations like the United Nations University and the International Council for Science to broaden our networks and enhance the global discussion of urban health challenges and their solutions. It has an active working group with the aim of strengthening urban health education, policy and practice, and is currently exploring engagement in advocacy at the United Nations (UN) level to maintain sustained attention to urban health as part of the Sustainable Development Goals and The New Urban Agenda.
