25 March 2024

European Parliament, Brussels

ASPHER is engaging in a new partnership for public health disaster preparedness with the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) and the European Council for Disaster Medicine (ECDM). To initiate the collaboartion, a special conference event is organised in Brussels on 25 March. See more information below and download the conference overview here. This will be an in person event only.

If members are interested to participate on 25 March or to engage in the collaboration, please let ASPHER know at office@aspher.org. 

Abstract

Global population growth, human migration, urbanization, climate change, conflict, and novel disease emergence present unprecedented challenges to public health worldwide.  Enhanced curriculum development can assist practitioners of public health – both direct and in supportive roles – to better address dynamic and wicked problems threatening the public’s health and welfare.  The lessons of recent pandemics, warfare returning to the European continent, and population dislocation demand a fresh look at public health education and training.  Subject matter experts, academics, and leaders from across Europe will convene in a one-day, high level meeting to launch development of enhanced curriculum to better address current and future challenges.

The Conference

A HIGH-TOUCH, HIGHLY INTERACTIVE, LIMITED SEATING EVENT

We invite you to participate in one day of exclusive dialogue and invention, as we address critical questions that will shape the future of our society. This conference will serve as a pivotal platform to address the complex challenges posed by current conflicts and future threats and offer the opportunity to conduct individual and organizational learning needs analyses.  By synthesizing knowledge and expertise, the outcomes will pave the way for transformative public health courses that prepare professionals to navigate the intricate landscape and unique challenges of the early 21^st Century, ultimately contributing to more resilient societies in Europe and beyond.  The working group methodology will require several meetings with SME leaders to help direct and maximize time.  This conference will be a one day event of presentations, discussions, and working groups with subject matter experts to form with an established a framework for novel curriculum.

The Workshop will include:

• Hands-on roundtables
• Cross-industry collaborations
• Facilitated hot-topic panels and discussions
• Engaging, informative dialogue with your peers

Introduction

Global geopolitics and human security have experienced significant shifts, posing unprecedented public health challenges with conflicts escalating in Ukraine, the Middle East, and elsewhere, tensions rising in Southeast Asia and the South China Sea, continuing non-state actor violence, and increasing impact of population dislocation, disease emergence and spread, and increasingly fragile health systems.  These events underscore the critical importance of preparedness in public health, pre-hospital services, and disaster medicine, a need dramatically illuminated by the response to the global pandemic and other crises increasingly shown to overwhelm historic interventions and suggested solutions.  

To address these pressing concerns, we propose an international conference, to be conducted in Europe and delivered via didactics, participative workshops, and roundtable discussions facilitated by a working group of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and practitioners, that will not only dissect current threats but also lay the foundation for a comprehensive curriculum to enhance public health medicine.  We will explore how best to address those affected by disaster and mass violence who exhibit a wide variety of psychological, behavioral, physical, and emotional reactions.  This curriculum will equip healthcare professionals – both public health and direct care – with practical clinical, disaster response and legally sound skills, promoting interoperability, and garnering high-level decision-maker support.  These questions and needs are more than ever relevant.