Dr Maliha Khan, President and CEO of Women Deliver, speaks to Dr Tareq Salahuddin of The Daily Star about decolonising aid, defending gender justice, and why the next decade could redefine global cooperation.

Digestive diseases range from common problems such as acidity and ulcers to life-threatening cancers of the stomach, pancreas and colon. During a recent visit to Dhaka, Clin Associate Professor Christopher Khor Jen Lock, Senior Consultant Gastroenterologist at Singapore General Hospital, spoke to The Daily Star about modern endoscopic procedures, cancer prevention, lifestyle risks, and how artificial intelligence is reshaping gastroenterology.

Bangladesh continues to face a disproportionately high burden of head and neck cancers, many of which are detected late. During two separate visits to Dhaka, Dr Szymon Mikulski, Consultant Head and Neck Surgeon at Singapore General Hospital, spoke at length about early warning signs, lifestyle risks, advances in treatment, and why timely diagnosis can make the difference between cure and lifelong disability.

Since the last Women Deliver Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2023 (WD2023), the global gender equality landscape has shifted sharply. Across regions, movements are facing widening pressure on rights and civic space while also accelerating movement-building, cross-border collaboration and youth leadership in response.

Dr William Herbert Foege, a lifelong servant of medicine and public health, was born on 12 March 1936 in Decorah, Iowa, United States. He was not only a physician but also an epidemiologist, public health leader, scientist, and global vaccine expert. He helped lead humanity to one of its greatest collective achievements: the eradication of smallpox. He passed away at the age of 89 on 24 January 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.

During his recent visit to Dhaka, Clinical Associate Professor Doric Wong, a Singapore-based ophthalmologist and retinal specialist, spoke to The Daily Star about common retinal diseases, advances in eye care, and why early screening can save sight.

Women Deliver has today announced the first speakers confirmed for the Women Deliver 2026 Conference (WD2026), taking place in Narrm (Melbourne) from 27–30 April 2026.

IAS 2027, the 14th IAS Conference on HIV Science, will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, and virtually from 11 to 15 July 2027, IAS – the International AIDS Society – announced.

Consultations to create a global Feminist Playbook - organized by Women Deliver and its vast network of partners - are responding to growing political pressure on gender equality and human rights, with feminist leaders, movements and communities across regions describing the process as timely and urgently needed.

In a powerful confluence of music, memory, and mission, the Cancer Connect Initiative Foundation (CCI Foundation) successfully hosted “Harmony of Hope: Concert for Cancer Connect”, a landmark fundraising concert aimed at supporting cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers across Bangladesh.

During his recent visit to Dhaka, Prof Brian Goh Kim Poh, a senior Singaporean specialist with extensive experience in hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) and transplant surgery, spoke to The Daily Star about liver and pancreatic diseases, their growing public-health relevance, and the importance of prevention, early diagnosis, and system-level preparedness.

A recent study published in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Ju-Young Shin at Sungkyunkwan University, Republic of Korea, and colleagues suggests that early life antibiotic exposure is not associated with an increased risk of autoimmune diseases in children.

The second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, jointly organised with the Government of India, concluded on December 22, 2025, in New Delhi, marking a major milestone for global health as it drew over 16,000 online registrations and brought together 800 delegates from more than 100 countries, including ministers from over 20 nations.

Music influences the human body in ways that go far beyond enjoyment and conscious movement. Our eyes naturally blink in time with a steady musical beat, revealing a hidden connection between hearing and involuntary movement.

People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who also have obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) face serious health risks, including higher chances of heart problems, stroke, and premature death.

Since 2000, most countries have made progress in expanding health service coverage and reducing the financial burden of health care, according to the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Global Monitoring Report 2025 from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Bank.

Cancer care is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation, driven by technology, better understanding of disease biology, and a growing emphasis on quality of life.

A major new review of global research suggests that gestational diabetes during pregnancy may affect brain health in both mothers and their children. The findings were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Vienna.

Dr Muhammad Mahtab Hossain Mazed.Winter in Bangladesh is no longer as predictable as it used to be. In the past, winter meant a light morning fog, some sunshine in the afternoon, and intense cold at night. However, in recent years, it has been observed that in many areas, sunlight is absen

The growing use of Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has raised questions about how trustworthy these systems really are. According to a new study published in the journal PLOS Medicine, researchers have found that AI systems work more accurately when they “think together” rather than alone.