Download the November 2022 ASPHER Newsletter here.

It has been a busy Autumn packed with travel as it seems everyone is trying to make up for lost time over these past pandemic years. We are bringing out a ‘slightly’ slimmer newsletter as we hop from the Deans’ & Directors’ Retreat in Sofia to the EPH Conference in Berlin

We hope everyone enjoyed the 2022 Deans’ & Directors’ Retreat in Sofia, Bulgaria as much as we did. You can read reporting about what went on in these pages, but we will also get back to you with more details of concrete outcomes from the sessions and discussions in future ASPHER newsletters and communications.

The biggest change for ASPHER after the Retreat is the handover of our Presidency from John Middleton to Carlo Signorelli. We look forward to Carlo’s term – if you weren’t able to attend the Presidency handover in Bulgaria, make sure to read the transcript of Carlo’s speech in the Message from the Presiden. However, we won’t miss John who will continue to stay active in the Executive Board as immediate past-President and in his new role as Chair of the Honours Platform. As you can see below, he isn’t taking his ‘retirement’ easy as he jetted off to Geneva directly from Sofia (along with Laura Magaña of GNAPH) to participate in the WHO Public Health and Emergency Workforce Roadmap Steering Committee meeting. John has provided his in depth thoughts on the meeting, essential public health functions, and professionalisation in the ASPHER blog. Note also that the ASPHER blog is open to all our members – don’t hesitate to contribute!

Meanwhile, even as we head to EPH, we are already turning our attention to the upcoming 17th World Congress on Public Health in Rome in May 2023. As part of his presidency agenda, Carlo Signorelli brought ASPHER on board as a partner to the Congress. WCPH may seem to be some time away, but there are important upcoming deadlines that must not be missed! The deadline to submit abstracts is 9 December 2022. Early bird registration rates also close the same day. When you register, be sure to do so at the discounted rate offered to ASPHER members!

In the nearer term, we are looking forward to the EPH Conference in Berlin this week. You’ll find the schedule of sessions ASPHER is participating in, here in the newsletter. We will be onsite in the exhibition hall with the ASPHER booth at #18 next to the German Pavilion – be sure to stop by! If you arrive in Berlin early, do also join us for the Young Researchers Forum Wednesday afternoon. We have a terrific group of 16 young researchers who will present, representing 14 countries from across Europe and beyond! The event costs only 20 EUR to add to your programme and includes lunch!

We already mentioned the WHO Public Health and Emergency Workforce Roadmap Steering Committee meeting, but ASPHER attended several high level meetings in the past month including the World Health Summit and the G7 Second technical meeting on the Public Health Emergency Workforce. It is important to contribute the schools’ perspective for these key international discussions and make sure that public health education, training and research engages with public policy and remain high on the agenda of decision makers.

ASPHER’s Climate and Health agenda is in full swing at the same time as the COP27 meetings. ASPHER Fellow Rana Orhan Pees recently spoke at the launch event for the Lancet Countdown on Climate and Health Report. And this week, ASPHER is involved in two climate and health events. On Wednesday, John Middleton will contribute to the launch webinar for the European Environment Agency report ‘Climate change as a threat to health and well-being in Europe: focus on heat and infectious diseases’. On Saturday at EPH, ASPHER Fellows Rana Orhan and Tara Chen and ASPHER’s new Senior Lead on Climate and Health, Laurent Chambaud will participate in the round table on ‘climate emergency, health and equity education: policy and practice recommendations for Europe’. 

ASPHER Task Forces continue to advance with the Covid-19 Task Force session at EPH and new publications and a second webinar series from the Task Force on War. Be sure to read ahead to see what they have on offer. 

A central project over the course of 2022-23 will be the update of the ASPHER core curriculum and competencies led by Executive Board Member Mary Codd, UCD and ASPHER Fellow Karl Conyard, with former ASPHER President Anders Foldspang, author of the 5th Edition of Core Competences contributing and ensuring continuity. We will be reporting to you in more detail on this in future newsletters. If you are interested in contributing your input to the Core Curriculum project or just wish to stay engaged, please submit your details and interests here.  

Be sure to also check on news, events and opportunities from our Members. Please don’t forget to share the newsletter and send us your updates for the December edition. 

Please don’t forget to share your news, publications, comments & suggestions with Lore at lore.leighton@aspher.org to be included in the next regular issue of the newsletter and on the ASPHER website activity log.