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The European Public Health Association Newsletter – October 2025 |
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Newsletter – October 2025
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1. Editorial
The urgency of investing in public health
Investing in health and well-being is not a cost — it is a foundation for resilient, sustainable societies. This is the core message of this year’s 18th European Public Health Conference, taking place in just over a week in Helsinki.
Across Europe and beyond, misinformation, climate pressures, conflict, and growing inequality are converging to create complex challenges for public health. Each of these pressures carries a cost — and the cost of inaction grows with every crisis. But these moments also offer an opportunity: to act early, to invest wisely, and to build the foundations for a healthier and more sustainable future.
Healthy populations drive resilient economies, cohesive communities, and fairer, more sustainable development. When Europe underinvests in health, in prevention, in people, in systems, it deepens inequities, weakens our collective resilience, and compounds long-term social and economic challenges.
This year’s Conference will bring together thousands of experts, policymakers, and practitioners to explore how strategic investments in public health can create lasting value for societies. For those already registered, we look forward to welcoming you in Helsinki. Registration is now closed, as the Conference has officially reached capacity, a clear signal of the growing momentum and urgency around this topic.
Join us in endorsing the Helsinki Statement on Investing in Health and Well-being and help strengthen the voice for health across Europe.
A healthier future depends on the choices we make today. Let’s make the case for investing in public health — together.
Dr. Tit Albreht, EUPHA President
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2. EUPHA news
Upcoming EUPHA Section webinars
Our Sections continue to bring together experts from across Europe and beyond to explore today’s most pressing public health challenges. Join us to stay informed, share knowledge, and connect with the latest research and policy developments.
27 November 2025, 16:00 – 17:00 CET
Organizer: Chronic Diseases Section
This webinar will explore how social inequalities and life experiences shape health from childhood to adulthood. Using European cohort data, it highlights how education, social mobility, and early-life factors influence chronic disease risk — and why prevention must begin early and address inequalities across generations.
Welcome to our new institutional member: Medical University – Pleven (Bulgaria)
EUPHA is pleased to welcome Medical University – Pleven as our newest institutional member.
Founded in 1974, Medical University – Pleven is one of Bulgaria’s leading medical institutions, dedicated to advancing education, research, and innovation in medicine, public health, and pharmacy. The university plays a key role in training future generations of health professionals and strengthening Bulgaria’s contribution to European public health.
By joining EUPHA, Medical University – Pleven becomes part of a growing network of public health professionals, institutions, and researchers across Europe — all working together to improve health and well-being for all.
A warm welcome to the MU–Pleven team. We look forward to collaborating and sharing your insights within the EUPHA community.
Call for input: study on misinformation and natural disasters
Maastricht University, with support from EUPHA’s Global Health Section, is conducting a qualitative study on the impact of misinformation on social media during natural disasters. The research focuses on how misinformation affects public health professionals across different roles and levels of decision-making, and the effectiveness of response strategies.
The questionnaire takes just five minutes to complete and aims to gather perspectives from across the European Region and beyond. Take the questionnaire.
Please share this opportunity with your colleagues. For questions or input, contact: s.hilberts@maastrichtuniversity.nl or team@euphaglobalhealth.org.
Have your say on the EU Clinical Trials Regulation
The European Commission and HaDEA are assessing how the EU Clinical Trials Regulation (EU 536/2014) is working in practice. Public health professionals are invited to share their experiences through an online survey to help evaluate the Regulation’s relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency.
Participation will allow you to share your experiences directly with the European Commission to help assess the Regulation’s progress towards achieving its objectives, the effectiveness of the measures in place, and the efficiency of its processes.
The results will inform the European Commission’s report to the European Parliament and the Council. The survey takes about 45 minutes to complete and closes on 28 November 2025. Participation is voluntary and confidential.
For questions, please contact ctr_study@technopolis-group.com.
EUPHA at the European Week of Regions and Cities 2025
Health begins where people live, learn, and grow — and this year’s European Week of Regions and Cities highlighted how science, policy, and local action must work together.
EUPHA joined two key sessions:
Our message is clear: Health is under attack, prevention is undervalued, and funding is fragmented — yet we have the science and partnerships to act. We called for mechanisms connecting science, regions, and cities, making health, equity, and prevention European common goods.
We will continue collaborating with EUREGHA, JOGG, and WHO Europe through the Healthy Cities and Regions for Health networks — leading up to EPH Conference 2026 in Bilbao, where urban health will take centre stage.
EUPHA at the PROPHET Annual Meeting: Advancing Personalised Prevention in Europe
What does personalised prevention mean in practice — and how can Europe ensure it is implemented ethically, equitably, and based on evidence? These questions are at the heart of the PROPHET.EU project, which is developing a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and Roadmap to guide the future of personalised prevention across Europe.
The PROPHET Annual Meeting took place earlier this month at Amsterdam UMC, bringing together experts and partners to celebrate progress and align on next steps.
EUPHA is proud to be part of this diverse consortium of 18 partners from research, practice, and civil society, contributing particularly to the next phase: translating scientific insights into concrete policy recommendations for decision-makers.
Next stop:
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3. European Public Health Conference
Registration closed – Pre-conference registration remains open
Registration for 18th EPH Conference is now closed as we have reached full capacity. We look forward to welcoming all registered delegates to Helsinki in November.
Pre-conference registration remains open for those who wish to participate in these sessions.
What registered delegates will receive before the conference
EPH 2025 Abstract Supplement now published
We are pleased to announce the publication of the 18th European Public Health Conference Abstract Supplement in the European Journal of Public Health (EJPH). Accepted EPH abstracts (who registered before the deadline) are now available as open access and can be found through major academic databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus, ensuring broad visibility and accessibility.
Each abstract has undergone formal peer evaluation and carries the same scientific legitimacy as other EJPH publications. All abstracts are assigned a DOI, making them citable and permanently archived by Oxford University Press.
Programme spotlight
This year’s programme is designed to spark bold discussions, inspire collaboration, and drive real change.
Pecha Kucha workshops return for the second year with 39 dynamic, 25-minute storytelling sessions. Presenters use a limited number of automatically advancing images, ensuring sharp, engaging narratives. With a rich mix of plenaries, parallel sessions, posters, Pecha Kucha workshops, and lunch symposiums, EPH 2025 offers delegates a flexible and inspiring conference experience.
Webinar recording now available
As we build momentum toward EPH 2025, the final webinar in our series explored how health systems can move beyond crisis response — towards long-term resilience within a wellbeing society and economy. Catch up on expert insights and get inspired ahead of the conference.
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4. Call for proposals, job opportunities
PhD opportunity at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), affiliated with the University of Basel, is a leading global health institute with a strong focus on low- and middle-income countries. Its Department of Epidemiology and Public Health conducts cutting-edge research on infectious and non-communicable diseases, applying methods ranging from anthropology to advanced biostatistics.
The Environmental Exposures and Health Unit is recruiting a PhD Candidate in Epidemiology/Public Health/Biostatistics to study health risks related to ionizing radiation in a Swiss context. This project will support national efforts in radiation protection and risk assessment.
The position offers rigorous training, international collaboration, and the opportunity to enroll in the University of Basel’s PhD programme in Epidemiology/Public Health.
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5. Upcoming courses and conferences
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6. Interesting publications
Health Systems, Health Services and Inequality in Population Health (book)
Inequalities in health are unjust and avoidable. Health inequalities are a key focus of many governments’ health policies and are therefore frequently studied in public health research. However, studies of health inequality too often ignore the role that health systems and care delivery play in creating health inequality at the population level. Consequently, their potential to create or reduce health inequality is also missed. This open access book provides an overview of the scientific literature on the relationships between the structure of health systems, care delivery and utilisation, and health inequality across the population.
View the open access book here.
Mentorship—A critical metric for career development and advancing global health
Mentorship plays a critical role in promoting career development and generating impactful research and programs, yet it is typically considered an altruistic endeavor and a luxury. Mentorship programs are largely unfunded and unsupported, particularly in the Global South. However, they are important in global health given the high need for mentors in many settings as well as the cross-cultural complexities and power dynamics inherent in the field. Mentor training programs are becoming increasingly available and have been shown to increase traditional metrics of impact—namely, manuscripts, grants, and program milestones. However, the current focus on these metrics without supporting mentorship can detract from their impact, leading to quantity over quality and programs disconnected from the communities they are meant to serve. In this article, the authors argue that making mentorship itself a metric will facilitate the true impact we seek in global health, while simultaneously promoting equity in opportunity. They describe mechanisms to ensure quality in mentorship and highlight the importance of governmental and non-governmental agencies and philanthropy in enabling institutions to implement mentorship programs.
Read the article in full here.
Investigating the relationship between corruption and health system outcomes in Central and Eastern Europe
Corruption in the health sector wastes precious resources and threatens progress to universal health coverage (UHC). Countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have undertaken extensive health system reforms, many including measures to tackle informal payments and other forms of corruption. The researchers asked whether there is evidence linking perceived corruption in twelve CEE countries between 2012 and 2020 with two health system-related outcomes, out-of-pocket payments and avoidable mortality. They analysed panel data and adjust for national characteristics in the political, economic, and social domains. They found a significant association between perceived corruption and health system outcomes after accounting for time-variant and in-variant factors using fixed-effects analysis. The political, economic, and social determinants of health, including quality of government, public health expenditure, national income, inequality, and urbanisation have stronger associations with each health system outcome.
Read the article in full here.
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