Dear EUPHA Digital Health and AI subscribers,

The 18th European Public Health (EPH) Conference is just around the corner! Welcome to the third EUPHA Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence (DH&AI) newsletter of 2025 as we prepare for Helsinki 2025, which will take place from 11–14 November 2025 in Helsinki, Finland.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Investing for sustainable health and well-being.” The DH&AI section will contribute engaging sessions and workshops that explore how digital health and artificial intelligence can enhance sustainability and equity in public health.

Helsinki offers a unique blend of urban life and nature, renowned for its Nordic design, architecture, and rich culture. Be sure to make time to enjoy the city’s famous public saunas and traditional culinary delights.

Are you planning to attend #EPH2025? We’d love to connect with you there! Reach out to us at euphadhai@gmail.com  with your ideas or to discuss how you can engage with the DH&AI section during the conference.

Best regards,

The EUPHA DHAI Team

1. Editorial

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly being discussed as a potential game-changer in public health. In the field of infectious diseases in particular, there is growing evidence of its promise, from enabling faster diagnostics and smarter surveillance to offering innovative solutions to antimicrobial resistance. However, alongside these opportunities, significant barriers remain: fragmented data, regulatory uncertainty, limited transparency and, most importantly, the need for trust and literacy among professionals.

This duality of promise and obstacles is at the heart of a new Series on AI and infectious diseases in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, which I had the privilege of coordinating as Guest Editor and opening, leading the first of three reviews. In the first paper, we introduce a conceptual framework to map where AI can support clinical practice, research and public health, while the two following reviews examine diagnostics and antimicrobial resistance, highlighting both opportunities and challenges.

The broader question, however, is not only what AI can do, but also what we, as public health professionals, will be involved in. Its future role will depend on our ability to engage critically and constructively, ensuring that AI aligns with clinical priorities, public health goals and societal values.

As we approach the next European Public Health Conference, I am particularly keen to hear your views on how we can together shape this evolving field.

Prof. Anna Odone

2. Our section pre-conference

On Tuesday, 11 November 2025 (09:00–17:00 Helsinki time), the pre-conference “Getting practical with AI in public health: real-world applications, challenges, and ethical considerations” will bring together professionals eager to move beyond the hype and see what AI can really do in practice. Through case studies, discussions, and hands-on sessions, we’ll explore how AI can support epidemiology, disease prediction, patient-centred care, and health system planning—while also addressing critical issues such as bias, regulation, and the EU AI Act (ephconference.eu). Expect a collaborative atmosphere, with opportunities to try out tools in an engaging coding session designed to spark ideas and give participants a taste of how AI can be applied in real-world public health contexts. We can’t wait to see what you will come up with!

3. Spotlight on AI & Public Health – other recent publications worth reading

• Zeeb H, Maaß L, Schultz T, Haug U, Pigeot I, Schüz B (2025). Digital Public Health. Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Springer Series on Epidemiology and Public Health. Cham: Springer. (Open access book) https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-90154-6
• PAHO (2025). AI prompt design for public health: Using generative AI responsibly. https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/68541
• Ullah W & Ali Q (2025). Role of artificial intelligence in healthcare settings: a systematic review. J Med Artif Intell;8: 24. https://doi.org/10.21037/jmai-24-294
• Babic B, Cohen IG, Stern AD, Li Y & Ouellet (2025). A general framework for governing marketed AI/ML medical devices. npj digital medicine;8(328). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-025-01717-9
• PwC EU Services EEIG & Open Evidence (2025). Study on the deployment of AI in healthcare – Final report. European Commission: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety: Brussels. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2875/2169577
• World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. (‎2025)‎. Accelerating the uptake of digital solutions by the health and care workforce in the WHO European Region. World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/382233
• Matos Fialho PM, Wenig V, Heumann E, Müller M, Stock C & Pischke CR (2025). Digital public health interventions for the promotion of mental well-being and health behaviors among university students: a rapid review. BMC Public Health; 25: 2500. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23669-1
• Anand-Kumar V, Schreier M, Bakshi N, Messiha K, Longworth GR, An Q, Angello DM, Chastin S & Lippke S (2025). Facilitators and challenges of co-creating digital public health interventions: A Health CASCADE multi-case exploratory study. Public Health; 247: 105847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2025.105847

4. Special Issues – Call for Papers

Research Topic on “A Public Health Workforce for the Digital Age: Digital Skills and Technologies in Public Health Education and Training” by Dr Rok Hrzic (ASPHER Digital Public Health Taskforce) and Dr Laura Maaß (EUPHA – Digital Health & AI Section) in Frontiers in Public Health. 

All articles will be published as open-access articles. The submission deadline for abstracts is 15 October 2025, with full manuscripts expected by 16 February 2026. The editors welcome empirical manuscripts as well as literature reviews, trials, and opinion papers with a focus on the Public Health Workforce for the Digital Age.

5. Call for participation in a Delphi study

In collaboration with the ASPHER Digital Public Health taskforce, our section invites you to participate in the PrepDiPH study, a European Delphi study on identifying digital public health core competencies. The project aims to develop a concise digital public health curriculum, including only the core competencies that should be integrated into formal public health study programs in Europe. For this purpose, experts from public health practice and research will be interviewed in a multi-stage Delphi survey to identify expert consensus on the most essential competencies in DiPH. To participate, you need to:

• Have at least a Bachelor’s degree in the subject area/academic background
• Have a professional reference to at least one essential public health function
• Have at least four years of experience in digital public health or digital health
• Completed 17 years of age

To participate in the study, please follow this link: https://bit.ly/PrepDiPH

Please feel free to share this invitation across your network!

6. Open positions!

• n° 1 University professorship (W3) for AI in biomedical technology at the Karlsruher Institute for Technology (Germany) https://www.pse.kit.edu/english/karriere/joboffer.php?id=165322
• n° 2 postdoctoral researchers for digital health at the Hasso Plattner Institute (Germany) https://jobs.plattnerfoundation.org/HPI/job/Potsdam-Postdoctoral-Researchers-%28mfx%29-Digital-Health-14482/1166373355/
• n° 1 postdoctoral researcher for pandemic preparedness and outbreak control at the KU Leuven (Netherlands) https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60548326
• n° 1 PhD position in epidemiological data collection, scenario analysis, and implementation sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) https://jobs.vub.be/job/Jette-PhD-Position-in-epidemiological-data-collection%2C-scenario-analysis-and-implementation-sciences/1237676001/?utm_source=LINKEDIN&utm_medium=referrer
• n° 1 PhD position in digital health and AI-based interventions for health promotion at Maastricht University (Netherlands) https://www.academictransfer.com/en/jobs/354728/phd-candidate-predicting-adherence-to-digital-health-promoting-interventions/
• Postdoctoral fellowship program on basic sciences for society needs at the Institute for Physical Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland) https://bs4s.edu.pl/

7. Introducing ARTEMIS: Accelerating Responsible AI in Medicine Across Europe 

Europe’s health systems face pressures from demographic, climate, and pandemic challenges that demand proactive solutions. AI could deliver more tailored care by leveraging digital infrastructure and big data, yet deployment lags despite strong research. Fragmentation across the AI-in-health community restricts the sharing of best practices and resources. Regulatory complexity (MDR, AI Act), uneven stakeholder understanding and trust, and burdens on SMEs impede adoption and could hamper the EHDS.

The ARTEMIS COST Action will close these gaps by building a pan-European, multidisciplinary network for knowledge exchange and twinning. It will also present a unified advocacy voice to policymakers on AI education, ethical deployment, and regulatory compliance—mobilizing diverse expertise to boost European competitiveness and sustain healthcare systems.

What to Expect from ARTEMIS: ARTEMIS will operate as an interdisciplinary research network for four years, bringing together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to investigate and advance medical AI. While COST Actions do not fund research directly, they provide crucial support for networking activities, including meetings, conferences, workshops, short-term scientific missions, and training opportunities. Over the period of 2026-2030, ARTEMIS will facilitate these activities to achieve its goals.

How You Can Get Involved: We invite you to contribute to ARTEMIS by endorsing the Action through a brief Expression of Interest (EoI) via the e-COST portal. You can also get directly involved by working with the leadership team to draft and refine specific sections of the ARTEMIS application. Your participation will help define the path forward, establish governance, plan activities, and identify key partners to include in this vital European initiative. Thank you in advance!

You can signal interest for ARTEMIS at: https://forms.gle/VebnoQzGVn2yDsbn6 or contact luigi.deangelis@siiam.it

8. Contribute to the section newsletter and social!

Thank you for reading the second edition of our renewed newsletter. As your Communication Pillar, I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on this evolving format. We want the newsletter to become a dynamic and valuable resource for everyone in our section. If you come across interesting articles, upcoming conferences or webinars, job opportunities, or if you have any feedback to share, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Dr. Francesco Baglivo