Health Systems in Asia 2013 is an interdisciplinary, social science conference, focusing on health systems adopted, or being considered for adoption, in Asian countries and their associated unique implications due to rapid economic, social, demographic and epidemiologic changes in the region.

The Conference Organising Committee welcomes submissions including, but not limited to, the following topics:

•Emerging health challenges – social determinants of health, urban health, NCDs, environmental challenges
•Vulnerable populations – aging, migration, gender, minorities, conflict
•Governance and regulation: government, power, partnerships, regional/national/local
•Mixed health systems – public/private, modern/traditional, formal/informal
•Management of technological change – pharmaceuticals, medical devices, ICT, genomics
•Consumers, citizens and accountability - health literacy, civil society, the political economy of reform
•Access impacts due to financing, payment, and cost containment strategies
•Research and evaluation methods for health systems policy

The conference welcomes empirical examinations of health outcomes, social, economic and political analyses as well as theoretical and philosophical contributions on these, and allied themes. Comparisons of reform experiences within and outside Asia are particularly encouraged.

The conference is the 2nd to be held in association with Social Science & Medicine, the world’s most cited social science journal, building on the success of the 2011 event. A Special Issue of selected papers presented at this conference will be published in Social Science & Medicine after the event.