On 2 August 2023, Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) in Vilnius will host the Congress of the World Association for Medical Law (WAML), where lawyers, scholars, attorneys, and medical practitioners from the continents of Europe, the North and South America, Asia, Australia, and Africa will discuss the most pressing issues in medical law.
The Congress will be opened by the Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Cmilyte - Nielsen, the Rector of MRU Dr. Prof. Inga Zaleniene, the President of WAML Prof. Roy Beran and the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Participants of the Congress, which will take place on 2-4 August, will discuss the challenges of ongoing health system reforms, their success in ensuring access to quality healthcare, the role and responsibility of civil society in the health sector, new challenges for health systems in the post-pandemic era, the protection of patients' rights, the role of forensic experts in the investigation of war crimes (Russia's military aggression in Ukraine), as well as other issues of importance to society. The Congress will open up the possibilities to present MRU to the international community of lawyers and medics as an innovative, modern university, open to scientific progress and capable of carrying out global scientific development projects.
"The Congress will provide an excellent opportunity to establish close scientific cooperation and partnership relations not only with scientists and universities from Europe, but also from the USA, Israel, Australia, Japan and other countries, in order to implement joint study and research projects," says Dr. Prof. Toma Birmontiene, the Head of the Congress Programme, Professor at MRU Law School. - "We expect about 150 participants to come to the Vilnius Congress, so the it should be a great opportunity to establish new partnerships in the field of legal services and to develop cooperation between medical professionals of different professions."
According to the professor, MRU integrates health law issues in various social science study programmes, which are relevant to many areas of study and research developed in the programmes of the MRU School of Law: whether it is the Law study programme and its constitutional, civil, criminal, international and other areas of law related to the protection of human rights, or whether it is another law study programme, such as the Law and International Relations.
"The development of health law at MRU has led the University to become a partner of the 27th World Congress of the World Medical Association," said Dr. Prof. Toma Birmontiene.
Mykolas Romeris University won the right to host the Congress in Vilnius during the 2019 WAML Congress in Tokyo.
The World Association of Medical Law (WAML), founded in 1967, brings together lawyers, scientists, attorneys, and medical practitioners from all over the world working in academic and practical fields. The World Congress of Medical Law is a prestigious event with a long tradition, held each year in a different country around the world. In 2019 it will be held in Japan (Tokyo), in 2022 in Australia and in 2024 it is scheduled to take place in Canada (Toronto). The congresses address topical issues in medical law.
WAML publishes a scientific journal, Medicine and Law, in which authors from more than 100 countries have published more than 2000 articles. A monthly WAML members' newsletter is also distributed.
Congress of the World Associations for Medical Law Association
The Opening Programme
2nd August 2023
Venue: Mykolas Romeris University, Ateities str. 20, Vilnius
(The full programme of the Congress is available at https://www.waml2023.eu/program/
Information about WAML Vilnius Congress is available at https://www.waml2023.eu/)
09:00 - 09:30 Opening of the Congress (Room I-201)
Moderated by Professor Toma Birmontiene, MRU School of Law
Keynote speakers:
- Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Cmilytė - Nielsen
- Rector of MRU Dr. Prof. Inga Zalėniene
- President of WAML Mr. Roy Beran
- Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (online)
09:30-10:30 Plenary Session 1 (Room I-201)
11:00 - 13:00 Sessions 1, 2, 3, 4 (Room I-201; I-414; I-416; I-417)
14:00-16:00 Sessions 5,6,7,8 (I-201; I-414; I-416; I-417aud.)
16:30-17:30 Session 9 (I-414 auditorium)
17:30-18:30 General Assembly (Auditorium I-201)