Webinar series Helsinki 2025

In November, the European public health community will gather in Helsinki, Finland, for the 18th European Public Health Conference. In the six months before the conference, the local organisers, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), and Society for Social Medicine in Finland (SLY), organised a webinar series, in which the thematic areas of the EPH Conference 2025 were introduced.

Webinar 4 - Towards resilience and well-being: rethinking health systems in a planetary health era - Thursday 11 September 2025, 12:00 - 13:15 CEST

The fourth and final webinar in the series bought together distinguished experts and practitioners to examine how health systems can move beyond crisis response towards building long-term resilience within a wellbeing society and economy - benefiting both people and the planet. Discussions focued on how policy-makers can strengthen health system performance in the face of adversity, ensuring essential functions continue while minimising the impact of shocks on population health.

Moderator: Andrea Schmidt, Austrian National Public Health Institute

Speakers

  • Julia Zimmermann, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
  • Jaana Halonen, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
  • Nadine Zillmann, Austrian National Public Health Institute
  • João Vasco Santos, University of Porto, ULS Santo António and EUPHA Public Health Economics Section. 

 

Webinar 3 - Why is health not (yet) taken into account in all policies? - Friday 6 June 2025, 14:00 - 15:00 CEST

This session focused on the practical and political barriers to implementing Health in All Policies (HiAP) approaches, including conflicting priorities within government and the influence of commercial interests. It explored the role of the public health community in building cross-sectoral alliances to keep health on political agendas — from local to international levels.

Moderator: Gökhan Depo, WHO Collaborating Centre at Tampere University

Speakers

  • Charlotte Marchandise, European Public Health Association
  • Marianne Jacques, Global Network for Health in All Policies
  • Meri Koivusalo, WHO Collaborating Centre at Tampere University
  • Lauri Kokkinen, WHO Collaborating Centre at Tampere University

The webinar was organised by WHO Collaborating Centre on Health in All Policies and the Social Determinants of Health, EUPHA - European Public Health Association, Global Network for Health in All Policies, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). 


Webinar 2 - Participatory research in action: Towards inclusive and ethical health policy & practice - Friday 16 May 2025, 11:00 - 12:05 CEST

In this webinar attendees learned how participatory research is driving more inclusive and ethical health systems, with a special focus on ethnic minorities and Indigenous peoples.

Moderator: Saida Mäki-Penttilä, Development Manager, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Finland

Speakers:

  • Natalia Skogberg, chief researcher, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Finland
    Finland’s experiences in translating research into practice and policy
  • Sónia Dias, Professor, National School of Public Health (NOVA), Portugal
    Doing research with, not on: Participatory methods in practice
  • Sarianna Ahlroos, Public Health Nurse and Karoliina Himanen, Public Health Nurse, Wellbeing services county of Vantaa and Kerava, Finland
    Advancing inclusivity: Bridging research and practice in healthcare
  • Niila Rahko, Planning Officer, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Finland
    Ethical Collaboration in indigenous research: Strengthening wellbeing and participation in Sápmi
  • Donald Warne, MD, Prof., the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous
    Towards inclusive health policy: Indigenous perspectives for equity and wellbeing

The webinar was organized by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Society for Social Medicine in Finland & EPH Migrant Section and co-funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).

Webinar 1 - Shifting the focus of health and economic policies: Investing for health and well-being - Thursday 24 April 2025, 14:00 - 15:00 CEST

In the first webinar of the series we discuss the application of the well-being economy, the role of EU policies, the economic benefits of investing in health and health systems, and future expectations for European public health policy.

Speakers:

  • Otto Kyyrönen, Finnish Federation for Social Affairs and Health
  • Caroline Costongs, EuroHealthNet
  • Luigi Siciliani, University of York

The discussion was moderated by Ilmo Keskimäki, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).