Plenary programme 18th EPH Conference 2025


Opening Ceremony: Investing for sustainable health and well-being

Wednesday 12 November, 11:45 – 12:45 Helsinki time

This session is the official opening session of the conference and provides an introduction to the main theme.

Moderator:

  • Ilmo Keskimäki, Chair of the 18th EPH Conference 2025
  • Anu Partanen, journalist, author of The Nordic Theory of Everything: In Search of a Better Life

Speakers/Panellists:

  • Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe
  • Veli-Mikko Niemi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland
  • Sandra Gallina, Director General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission

 

Plenary 1: Transforming economies for planetary health and well-being

Wednesday 12 November, 14:00 – 15:00 Helsinki time 

Organised by European Commission

Moderator:

  • Martin McKee, Professor of European Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom

Keynote speaker: 

  • Sandra Gallina, Director General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission

Speakers/Panellists:

  • Francesca Colombo, Head of the Health Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
  • Fidelia Cascini, Digital health expert, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy
  • Rui Santos Ivo, Chair of the Management Board of the European Medicines Agency (EMA)

 

Plenary 2: Public health in the era of misinformation and disinformation

Wednesday 12 November, 18:00 – 19:00 Helsinki time

Organised by European Public Health Association (EUPHA) 

Moderators:

Speakers/Panellists:

  • Götz Gottschalk, Head of Health, YouTube DE (Google) & Strategy & Operations Lead, YouTube Health EMEA (Google), Germany
  • Seema Yasmin, Emmy Award-winning journalist, Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine, Stanford University, United States (participation via online stream)
  • Sanna Vesikansa, Crisis Services MIELI Mental Health, Finland
  • Monika Kosinska, Cross-Cutting Lead Economic and Commercial Determinants of Health, World Health Organization 

 

Plenary 3: Advancing mental health in all policies to promote and protect youth mental health and well-being: a cross sectoral imperative for Europe's youth and economy

Thursday 13 November, 10:30 – 11:30 Helsinki time 

Organised by WHO Regional Office for Europe

Moderators:

Speakers/Panellists:

  • Ledia Lazëri, Regional Adviser for Mental Health, WHO Regional Office for Europe
  • Ian Power, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Ireland
  • Marta Puciłowska-Schielmann, Vice president, Institute of Digital Citizenship, Poland
  • Marie Paldam Folker, Managing Director, Centre for Digital Psychiatry, Denmark
  • Silja Kosola, Associate Professor in Adolescent Health, University of Helsinki, Finland
  • Ewout van Ginneken, Director European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

 

Plenary 4: Tackling political and commercial determinants of health through policy and governance  

Thursday 13 November, 14:00 – 15:00 Helsinki time 

Organised by EuroHealthNet

Moderator:

Keynote speakers:

  • Sandro Galea, Dean of the School of Public Health, Washington University, United States (participation via online stream)
  • Anna Gilmore, Professor of Public Health, Director of the Tobacco Research Group, University of Bath, United Kingdom

Panellists:

 

Plenary 5: Investing in the health workforce to build sustainable health systems

Friday 14 November, 10:30 – 11:30 Helsinki time 

Organised by European Health Management Association (EHMA), European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER)

Moderator:

  • Matthias Wismar, Programme Manager, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

Speakers/Panellists:

  • Henrique Barros, President ASPHER, and Professor of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal 
  • Petronille Bogaert, Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), European Commission
  • Federica Margheri, Executive Director, European Health Management Association (EHMA)
  • Marius-Ionuț Ungureanu, Chair of the Department of Public Health, School of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania
  • Gemma Williams, Research Fellow, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies

Closing Ceremony of the 18th European Public Health Conference

Friday 14 November, 15:15 – 16:00 Helsinki time 

Moderator:

Speakers:

  • Idil Hussein, Senior Planning Officer, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)
  • Alastair Leyland, Director NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Inequalities, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom

Award Ceremony: Best Poster, Best Abstract, Ference Bojan Award

  • Iveta Nagyova,, President European Public Health (EPH) Conference Foundation

Welcome to the 19th EPH Conference 2026, Bilbao, Spain