By Sara Esteves
COVID-19 taught us many lessons. At the World Health Summit 2025, one message stood out: preparedness is crucial.
As a Health Informatics researcher at the University of Porto, attending this summit was both intellectually stimulating and personally motivating, and it carried special meaning as I was there as a mentee of the EUPHAnxt Mentoring Programme 2025, representing EUPHAnxt as part of the Infectious Diseases Control section. I focused primarily on sessions addressing pandemic preparedness, digital health infrastructure, and the role of data in strengthening resilient health systems.
It was particularly encouraging to see strong acknowledgment of the importance of high-quality, timely, and interoperable data, digital tools and artificial intelligence.
The topic of preparedness, so central to the summit’s discussions, also resonated deeply with my mentoring journey. Through the Infectious Diseases group, I was encouraged to go to conferences to learn more about pandemic preparedness and network. The summit reinforced and enriched reflections, bridging the conceptual discussions from my mentoring sessions with real-world perspectives.
Beyond the formal sessions, the conversations in corridors during breaks and informal discussions were equally valuable. It was inspiring to witness how interdisciplinary perspectives converge toward shared objectives.
I am sincerely grateful to EUPHAnxt for providing me with the opportunity to attend this event, both as part of the Mentoring Programme and as a representative of a community deeply committed to public health. I return to Porto with renewed motivation. The World Health Summit 2025 was not just a conference, it was a reminder that preparedness begins long before the next crisis. As researchers, we have both the responsibility and the opportunity to contribute to building stronger, smarter, and more equitable health systems.
