Dear EUPHA Public Health Policy and Politics (EUPHA PHPP) section members,

This is our first newsletter in 2026, covering activities set in the first four months of this year and highlighting upcoming opportunities for collaboration, especially in preparation of the European Public Health (EPH) Conference in Bilbao in November. 

Let us make public health policy and politics more effective and relevant by bringing together public health research and practice within our section. For us this is an ideal platform to achieve this mission and to contribute to better public health in Europe. 

New EUPHA PHPP Section Committee

And work has only started, accompanied by a new Section Committee (SC) meeting for the first time in April 2026, constituting itself, and discussing the 2026 draft work plan. 

Webinar during European Public Health Week (EUPHW 2026)

For the soon upcoming European Public Health Week in May 2026, we are currently preparing a webinar with Charlotte Godziewski as our keynote speaker on ’Democratic health governance amidst geopolitical uncertainty’ under the theme  ‘Protecting public health and democracy: tackling disinformation, strengthening accountability, and building trust’. 

Register here for our EUPHW Webinar on 7 May 11.00-12.00 CET: 
https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/EUPHA_PHPP_EUPHW_Webinar_Registration

This webinar also builds on the Section’s 2025 webinars. To relisten or explore:

• Stand Up for Science – A Global Necessity (7 March 2025, EUPHA)
• Stand Up for Global Public Health and Science (13 May 2025, EPHW)

European Public Health Conference Bilbao (EPH 2026)

This year’s EPH Conference will take place from 10–13 November 2026 in Bilbao, Spain. The deadline for submissions to organise and hold sessions during the conference and its pre-conferences is 1 May 2026 at 18.00 CET. The overall guiding topic of the conference is ‘Urban and global synergies: shaping the future of public health with climate resilience, equity and innovation.’

The Section Committee is working – together with other EUPHA Sections – on submitting and participating on several topics. All EUPHA PHPP members are strongly encouraged to participate during the EPH Conference, submit abstracts and workshop ideas for our strong representation there. Should you require a speaker or panellist (e.g., a member of the EPHA PHPP SC) for a workshop you are organising, please let us know if we can help. Contact us via EUPHA_PHPP@goeg.at.

Other important events

Several important events are upcoming, of which we want to inform you:

• The European Health Management Conference on ‘Future-proofing health systems for a changing world: from strategy to action’ will take place from 10 to 12 June in Barcelona, Spain. Register now!
• The 6th V4 Public Health Conference 2026 on ‘Healthy Horizons: Exploring Innovations in Public Health’ will take place from 9 to 11 September 2026 in the High Tatras, Slovakia.  This EUPHA mid-term conference may be of interest to section members, particularly those from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Register now!
• The European Health Forum Gastein on ‘Health for a stronger European Union. High time for action!’ will be held as a Hybrid Conference from 29 September to 2 October 2026 in Gastein, Austria. Get involved before registration and submissions start!

Preparing our next newsletter before the summer,  we would like to feature contributions from section members. If you have recent publications, upcoming events or webinars, or any other interesting news to share (including job openings), please send them to EUPHA_PHPP@goeg.at. 

Your input is greatly appreciated!

Herwig Ostermann, EUPHA PHPP Section President & Florian Tille, EUPHA PHPP Section Vice-President