Dear colleagues,

We are sending you the May update from the EUPHA Health Services Research (HSR) Section.

It was great to see some of you in May, at our event during European Public Health Week. We are also pleased that many of you are planning to join us in person for the EUPHA-THSR Spring School and the EUPHA-HSR Mid-Term Conference. These events will take place in Berlin from 22 to 26 June 2026.

We have received more than 80 applications for the Spring School and Mid-Term conference. Confirmations are being sent to selected candidates. The detailed agenda is currently being finalised and will be circulated to participants in the coming days. Registration for connected HSR activities on 25 and 26 is still possible, subject to available capacity.

Colleagues interested in joining the EUPHA-HSR Mid-Term Conference virtually, becoming part of our THSR Community via a Teams group, or becoming more actively involved in future HSR Section initiatives are invited to contact us at thsr@charite.de.

We look forward to seeing many of you soon in Berlin or in one of our next online events.

Best regards,

Lorena Dini, lorena.dini@charite.de and Filippo Quattrone, f.quattrone@santannapisa.it

EUPHA-THSR Spring School 2026
Health, Care and Information Pathways for Strengthening Health and Care Systems
Monday 22 to Friday 26 June 2026, Berlin

The second edition of the EUPHA-THSR Spring School on “Translational Health Services Research Methods 2026: Health, Care and Information Pathways for Strengthening Health and Care Systems” is intended for PhD students, researchers and practitioners from public health institutes and academia working towards solving questions from practice.

The focus will be on measuring, evaluating and designing health, care and information pathways to strengthen people-centred care and improve population health. As part of the Spring School, alumni from the previous edition will be invited to join selected networking moments with the new cohort.

The THSR Spring School and the other activities will take place at:

Charité Campus Mitte
Virchowweg 24
10117 Berlin, Germany

The programme will run from 10:30 on Monday 22 June to 13:30 on Friday 26 June.

No participation fee is required for accepted participants. Participants will have to cover their own travel, accommodation and related expenses.

For further information, please visit the EUPHA website.

EUPHA-HSR Mid-Term Conference
Thursday 25 June 2026, Berlin

The EUPHA-HSR Mid-Term Conference will take place at Charité Campus Mitte, Virchowweg 24, 10117 Berlin, on Thursday 25 June from 14:00 to 18:00. It will be connected to the EUPHA-THSR Spring School and the Community Engagement and Dissemination Event.

The Mid-Term Conference will place particular emphasis on in-depth discussion, project development and networking among HSR Section members. The programme will include presentations from the Spring School group work, a session on patient-centred pathways for health system resilience, an exchange with THSR alumni on current work and projects, and selected contributions from the HSR community.
These contributions are intended as moments to discuss work in progress, identify possible synergies and support the development of future collaborative projects.

HSR Section members who would like to present ongoing work at the Mid-Term Conference are invited to send the title of the topic they would like to discuss to thsr@charite.de by 10 June 2026.

Hybrid participation will be available on Thursday 25 June from 14:00 to 18:00 CEST, subject to registration by 14 June 2026.

EUPHA-HSR Mid-Term Conference:
Community Engagement and Dissemination Event
Friday 26 June 2026, Berlin

As part of the EUPHA-HSR Mid-Term Conference, the Community Engagement and Dissemination Event will be held on Friday 26 June 2026 from 10:00 to 13:30 at Charité Campus Mitte, Virchowweg 24, 10117 Berlin. 

The session is open to the local public and to researchers, students and practitioners in public health, global health and health services research who would like to join us in Berlin. It will provide an opportunity to discuss the Spring School work on health, care and information pathways with a broader audience.

Registration is required to attend the Mid-Term Community Engagement and Dissemination Event.

Join the EUPHA-HSR Section activities

Colleagues interested in contributing to EUPHA-HSR Section activities, joining the THSR team group, or becoming more actively involved in future initiatives are invited to contact us at thsr@charite.de.

We also invite Section members to join future webinars and online HSR Section events and activities. Further information will be circulated through the Section mailing list.

Interesting Reading

Each month we highlight a small selection of recent scientific articles and policy publications relevant to Health Services Research.

European Journal of Public Health

• Aquizerate A, et al. Overcoming barriers to the prescription/dispensation of take-home naloxone among French primary care professionals: a regional training initiative. European Journal of Public Health. 2026;36(3):ckag074. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag074
• Martín-García P, et al. Factors related to participation in colorectal cancer screening in a Southern European region: a prevalence survey. European Journal of Public Health. 2026;36(3):ckag060. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag060
• Mourgues C, et al. Telework perceptions in hospital workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic—the ADAPTAWORK2 study. European Journal of Public Health. 2026;36(3):ckag064. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag064
• Ioakeim-Skoufa I, et al. Early dynamics of multimorbidity in 17.4 million people in Spain: onset patterns and prognostic value. European Journal of Public Health. 2026;36(3):ckag067. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag067

European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

• Batenburg R, Rijken M, Groenewegen P, editors. Implementing innovative care models in European countries: what are the implications for health and care workforce planning and training? European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Policy Brief 77. Published 4 May 2026. Read the policy brief
• Thomas S, Farsaci L, O’Donoghue C, Almirall-Sanchez A, Ager A, Pita Barros P, et al., editors. Lessons from a global review of health system resilience. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Policy Brief 81. Published 29 May 2026. Read the policy brief
• Cylus J, Forman R, Shuftan N, Mossialos E, Smith PC, editors. Paying for Health: Learning from International Experience in Health Financing. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Published 21 May 2026. Read the publication

OECD and WHO

• Hämmerli M, Milstein R, Mueller M. Incentivising patient pathways in outpatient care: a review of gatekeeping and cost-sharing policies across the OECD. OECD Health Working Papers. 2026;(196). https://doi.org/10.1787/349dcf1c-en
• Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research. Health reform manual. World Health Organization. Published 6 May 2026. Read the manual

Commonwealth Fund

• Gunja MZ, Gumas ED, Williams II RD. U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2026: Expanded Edition. The Commonwealth Fund. Issue Brief. Published 28 May 2026. Read the issue brief