Australia is expected to make a major contribution at a 50-nation summit being held in Qatar to find ways to prevent and treat illness and injury.
Topics on the agenda for the 500 delegates include obesity, road injuries, mental health and antibiotic resistance.
The aim is for countries to share their knowledge, says summit chair Professor Lord Darzi, head of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College, London.
He says the international health-care industry needs to improve the way it shares its high level of innovation.
"By bringing together those with the power to make a real difference, we hope to inspire countries to take up new innovations for the benefit of people all over the world," he told AAP ahead of the summit launch on Tuesday.
Australia's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Baggoley, University of Melbourne dean of medicine Professor Stephen Smith and Translational Research Institute CEO Professor Ian Frazer are among the Australians expected in Doha for the gathering, the World Innovation Summit for Health, which starts on Tuesday.
Participation would help Australia understand how the world is dealing with problems, said Prof Smith.
The country could achieve much more in collaboration with global partners than it could achieve alone.
"Australia has highly commendable health outcomes, far better than the US or UK, so it is an opportunity to showcase the country, but at the same time to see if there are some areas that we can do even better," he said.
"This also allows us to be seen on the global stage and for major industry to see Australia as a leading centre in which it can develop products."
The summit could help open the way for new frontiers of co-operation to alleviate suffering and promote wellbeing at an individual and global level, said another delegate, SANE Australia CEO Jack Heath.
"Australia has been a world leader in some areas of mental health. We need to share our experience but learn from others," he said.
"The combination of our small size and ability to adapt to technology makes Australia a great place to test innovative approaches.
"If we are caring, clever and innovative, Australia can lead the world in mental health services, programs and outcomes."
* Clifford Fram travelled to Doha as a guest of the Qatar Foundation.
