Werner H Christie print  
   Biography
 
Born in Oslo April 26th, 1949. Married, 2 children.

Werner Christie is a former Minister of Health of Norway, and former chair of the Biotechnology Advisory Board of Norway. Werner is a Medical Doctor also educated in Social Science. He also has more than 13 years experience as a part-time farmer.

He has worked as a public health officer and hospital manager in Norway and has done research and published a textbook in the planning and management of health care. He has served on a number of boards for health care providers, investors and start-ups, including European Federation of Biotechnology and ScanBalt network of Biotech networks. He was for 5 years a special advisor in medical and Biotechnology for the Norwegian Trade Council, and served two years in that function in San Francisco. He chaired the development of WHO’s “Stop TB” initiative (www.stoptb.org) , a worldwide public – private partnership against tuberculosis, from its beginning until it included more than 40 global organisations.

In 2001 he started his own fulltime consulting business, “World Health Connections”, focusing on entrepreneurship and investment strategies in Medical and Biotechnology and advising both private and public enterprises.

He was May 2004 appointed as Science and Technology Counsellor for the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Beijing, where his work is mainly focused on energy, environmental, building, medical, marine and bio- science and technologies.
 
 
  Abstract
 
Facilitating Biotech to make a good impact for a more balanced development of the world
This presentation will draw on the speakers experience form national and international public health, as well on his roles as former Minister of Health and Chair of the Biotechnology advisory board in Norway. To make biotechnology a tool for a more equitable development of health in the world, it is necessary to scrutinize the conditions under which biotech is implemented, and the premises laid out for its further development. This will lead us to explore how both globalized politics and the world economic system influence the priorities and directions for biotech innovation. Given an overview and perspective of these systems dynamics, we need to analyse both favourable and adverse influences and consequences too chose strategic actions and points of optimum leverage for change. Given an effective combination of the right vision , with necessary political push and economical pull, it can be possible to improve the impact of biotechnology on a more harmonious and balanced development in the world.