Dear Colleagues,

I hope you had a restful break and 2026 has started well. 

Globally, threats to public health are increasing. These include declining budgets, disinformation, climate change and related environmental crises, wars and lesser conflicts, populism and unsustainable economic policies. Also, the undermining of international law and multi-lateral institutions. 

As a ‘community of practice’*, EUPHA-LAW supports the public health community to respond to these and other threats to public health. 

To continue to build our community, please complete the 2026 member survey by Monday, 19 January, and complete the Doodle by Friday, 30 January for our first meeting for 2026. [You don’t have to have a legal background to contribute!]

Also, if you already have ideas for workshops or a pre-conference for the European Public Health Conference, please let us know.

Do you have announcements to share through the EUPHA-LAW mailing list? Upcoming events, relevant publications, activities of interest (all with a law and public health focus)? Please add them now to the draft newsletter for February [with your name and email as well if follow up is needed.]

For example, we have included below the announcement for the 8th International Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health, Leeds, UK, 6-9 September because it will be of particular interest to EUPHA-LAW members.

Best regards,

David Patterson, President

email: dpatterson@healthlawdc.com

*Wenger-Trayner E, Wenger-Trayner B, ‘Introduction to Communities of Practice: A Brief overview of the Concept and its Uses’ (2015) www.wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/

1. 19th European Public Health Conference, 10-13 November, 2026, Bilbao

The EUPHA Section Council will meet on 21 January to discuss plans for workshops and/or pre-conferences. If are considering organising a workshop on a topic related to law and public health, please let us know by Thursday 15 January.

We also have the opportunity to host a pre-conference on 10 November. Please get in contact if you have a suggestion or would like to be involved. 

Ideas for Conference workshops will also be discussed at a Section Council meeting in mid-February. We will explore how we can collaborate with other Sections in designing and delivering workshops.

2. EUPHA-LAW Section meeting February

To identify a time and date that suits the most people, please complete the Doodle by Friday, 30 January. Draft agenda:

• Welcome and introductions
• Outcome of EUPHA-LAW survey (see below)

  • Thematic focus
  • Steering Committee
  • EUPHA-LAW – ‘a community of practice’

• Planned activities 2026

  • European Public Health Week
  • European Public Health Conference
  • Other activities

• Communications – Linkedin

3. Reminder: EUPHA-LAW survey: deadline 19 January

To kick off our activities in 2026, please complete the 2026 member survey (link) as briefly or fully as you wish by Monday 19 January. It should take 10 minutes at most – your input at this early stage is invaluable!

The survey asks about your experience in public health law and policy and priority areas of interest – you can simply provide a link to your online profile if you wish. The survey also invites your comments on the draft outline of the EUPHA-LAW Strategy 2026-2028.

We would welcome expressions of interest from public health law experts who could occasionally advise EUPHA pro bono.

Also, we welcome interest in joining the EUPHA-LAW steering committee and taking on EUPHA-LAW activities: policies and position statements, European Public Health Week events, European Public Health Conference and pre-conference, Outreach and Communications etc. These are great opportunities to grow your network and build professional relationships with like-minded colleagues across Europe and beyond.

4. Announcements

Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Network

Registrations are now open for the 8th International Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health, Leeds, UK, 6-9 September 2026 LEPH 2026!

Early bird rates are available until 31 May 2026 across all registration categories, with discounted rates for GLEPHA members. Registration includes access to the full conference programme and associated events.

Further details on registration are available here: https://leph2026.org/registration/
Information about GLEPHA membership can be found here: https://glepha.com/join-us/

Call for Abstracts

We invite researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and community leaders to submit abstracts for LEPH 2026.

Please note the following key dates:

• Deadline for abstract submissions: 16 March 2026
• Decisions on abstract acceptance: Early May 2026
• Early bird conference booking deadline: 31 May 2026

For more information, visit: https://leph2026.org/abstracts-proposals/