Emerging Technologies News 16th European Public Health Conference Starts in Lisbon 16th European Public Health Conference Starts in Lisbon
- 06/11/2008
The annual meeting of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), on the topic Health and Innovation in the European Space, took place in the Centre for Congresses in Junqueira (the former FIL), Lisbon, from 6 to 8 November 2008, and was organised by the Portuguese Association for the Promotion of Public Health (Associação Portuguesa para a Promoção da Saúde Pública - APPSP), a founder member of the organisation. Around 1,200 individuals participated in the conference, coming from numerous countries.
After the opening ceremony chaired by the Minister of Health, the 1st Plenary Session had as its theme “Innovation, Knowledge and Citizens – Science promoting health and preventing disease, and the citizen” and was opened by an invited paper given by the President of Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) on the Transfer of Scientific Knowledge to health professionals and citizens.
The conference was preceded by preliminary meetings throughout the 5th and the morning of the 6th involving various sections of EUPHA, including a training session on exchanging experiences of patients undergoing health care, health and social security, safety for children, public mental health and interpersonal and community violence, electronic health records for children, European training in effective health care and adolescent health, immigrant health, and research into health services.
The 30th Annual Conference of ASPHER – Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region also took place during this preliminary phase, which was focused on aspects of future research into Public Health (challenges, competencies, teaching, education).
Other events which took place during the preliminary stage of the conference were an Intensive Course in Innovation in Public Health, the 5th Biannual Meeting on Health Policies and Planning organised by SESPAS – The Spanish Society for Public Health and Sanitary Administration (Sociedad Espanola de Salud Pública y Administración Sanitaria) and the 2nd International Hospitals Conference organised by the Portuguese Association for Hospital Development (APDH – Associação Portuguesa para o Desenvolvimento Hospitalar)with the theme “Innovation and Quality in Health”.
The opening ceremony for Innovation Village also took place on 5 November, which was attended by the Assistant Secretaries of State for Health and Science, Technology and Higher Education. Innovation Village was an exhibition of innovative public health projects which were selected after having been submitted to the i-Health Bank and having created a partnership with an entity from another country so as to be present at the exhibition.