The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare will host a high-level Public Health Symposium on Pandemic Preparedness and Response on Monday, 30 March 2026, at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja 🏛️. It is also possible to join this event online.

Bringing together over 300 delegates from 30+ organisations, the one-day event will convene senior government officials, global health experts, and development partners to share insights from China and Nigeria on strengthening global health security 🌍.

The programme features keynote remarks from Prof. George Fu Gao, alongside ministerial dialogues and expert panels exploring epidemic intelligence, surveillance systems, and bilateral cooperation frameworks. Hosted by Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the symposium aims to deliver actionable policy recommendations and a joint communiqué to guide future investments in pandemic preparedness 💡.

With sessions spanning strategic partnerships, emerging infectious diseases, and cross-sector collaboration, the event promises a full day of meaningful dialogue, knowledge exchange, and networking 🤝.

Join Speaker Series #13 of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence on strengthening emergency preparedness for national public health agencies—part of Season III: From Insight to Impact. 🌍📊

This hybrid event in Berlin and online will explore how data, innovation, and global collaboration can transform public health intelligence into actionable, system-wide impact. 💡🤝

Experts will present complementary WHO and IANPHI frameworks and discuss how they can be adapted into coordinated, sustainable strategies to improve preparedness and response worldwide. 🚨✨

The third event in the five-part discussion series “Wissenschaft im Zweifel” will take place on 12 March 2026 from 5:00–6:30 pm in a hybrid format.

Renowned psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer, former Director of the Harding Center for Risk Literacy and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, will join journalist Melinda Crane (Deutsche Welle TV) for a conversation on:

“The Illusion of Certainty – When Intransparent Science Communication Leads to Doubt.”

Against the backdrop of current developments, the question of how science is communicated — and how transparency shapes public trust — is becoming increasingly relevant. Following a short keynote, the two distinguished experts will explore the topic in a moderated discussion with audience participation.

📍 Location (on-site):
Hörsaalruine Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité, 10117 Berlin

💻 Online participation: via Microsoft Teams
Meeting ID: 365 117 043 270 53
Passcode: 7Ur2dr9A

Registration is not mandatory, but prior sign-up via the registration form is appreciated for planning purposes.

Join the conversation and engage in a timely discussion on trust, transparency, and the communication of science.

Designing the Human? AI Between Progress and Responsibility

On 25 February (10:00–16:00), the 11th Transfer Conference “eHealth & Society” will explore a provocative question: What happens when the human being becomes a design object?

Under the title “Designobjekt Mensch”, the conference examines how artificial intelligence, medical innovation, and digital technologies are reshaping concepts of health, identity, and self-determination. From AI-assisted diagnostics and robotic surgery to social media filters, virtual avatars, longevity trends, and personalized medicine, the boundaries between enhancement, optimization, and societal pressure are increasingly blurred. 🌐✨

Bringing together experts from medicine, computer science, public health, ethics, sociology, psychology, and social work, the event will critically discuss both the opportunities and ethical dilemmas of digital transformation in healthcare. The concept of the “Augmented Doctor” will be explored alongside pressing questions: Who designs whom? Does AI empower human agency — or redefine norms and expectations?

With new institutional partners and high-level public patronage, this year’s conference promises an interdisciplinary and forward-looking dialogue on how technological innovation can be aligned with social responsibility. ⚖️🏥

Register until 20 February 2026

Location: Munich and online 

🏥 Spreestadt Forum & Berlin Hospital Seminar – Winter Semester 2025/26

The Spreestadt Forum and Berlin Hospital Seminar is an interdisciplinary lecture series on healthcare in Europe, bringing together perspectives from health economics, medicine, and health policy. Scientifically led by Prof. Reinhard Busse, Prof. Thomas Kersting, and Prof. Thomas Henke (TU Berlin), the series takes place every semester and is open to students and professionals alike.

In the Winter Semester 2025/26, the program focuses on current reforms and challenges in the German and European healthcare systems. Topics include Level 1i clinics and regional health centers, integrated care for chronic diseases, cross-state hospital planning between Berlin and Brandenburg, implementation of hospital reform laws, the practical use of AI in healthcare, and the financial situation of statutory health and long-term care insurance.

📅 Next lecture:
January 19, 2026, at 6:15 pm (CET)
🎤 Michael Zaske (Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, Brandenburg) & Helge Franz (Berlin Senate Administration)
🧩 Topic: Cross-state hospital planning in light of service groups, minimum case numbers, and retention payments

The event is held in hybrid format, free of charge, and no registration is required. Participants are warmly invited to join the discussion—on site or online.

Lecture: Digital Health – Innovative Research Projects (IT Acceptance in Health Care) | University of Bonn | 22 January 2026

💻 Event overview:
As part of the Winter Semester 2025/26 lecture series “Digital Health: Innovative Research Projects”, this session focuses on the acceptance of information technology in health care. Digital health applications—from prescription apps to digital monitoring—are already part of everyday practice, but their success depends on whether patients and health professionals actually use them.

🎯 Topic & content:
The lecture explores the key factors influencing the adoption and acceptance of digital health technologies, drawing on current research findings and practical examples. It highlights both the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation in the health sector and discusses what is needed to promote real-world uptake.

👩‍🏫 Speakers:

• Rainer Beckers, M.A., ZTG Center for Telematics and Telemedicine GmbH
• Prof. Dr. Julia Krönung, Professor of Business Administration (Socio-Technical Information Systems), FernUniversität in Hagen

🕒 Date & time: 22 January 2026, 18:00
📍 Location: Campus Bonn, Gotenstraße 161, 53175 Bonn
💻 Format: On-site and online via Zoom
🎟️ Participation: Free of charge, registration required (for on-site or online attendance)

🔎 A valuable session for anyone interested in digital health, health IT adoption and user-centred innovation in health care.

🌍 Spreestadt Forum & Berlin Hospital Seminar on Health Care in Europe | TU Berlin | Winter Semester 2025/26

The Spreestadt Forum and Berlin Hospital Seminar is a free, interdisciplinary lecture series on health care in Europe, jointly organised by TU Berlin and academically led by Prof. Reinhard Busse, Prof. Thomas Kersting and Prof. Henrik Henke. Held every semester, the series brings together perspectives from health economics, medicine and health policy and is open to students and professionals alike.

📚 Winter Semester 2025/26 focus:
This semester’s programme addresses key current reforms and debates in the German and European health system, including:

• New care models such as “Level 1i” clinics and regional health centres
• The future potential of integrated care, especially for people with chronic diseases
• Cross-state hospital planning (Berlin–Brandenburg)
• Implementation of hospital reform legislation (KHVVG, KHAG) through models and simulations
• Practical applications of artificial intelligence in health care 🤖
• The financial challenges facing statutory health and long-term care insurance 💶

🗣️ Format & participation:

• Hybrid format (on-site in Berlin + online livestream)
• In-person attendees are welcome to enjoy snacks and drinks 🥨
• No registration required, participation is free of charge
• Open discussion and exchange are central to the series

📌 Next lecture:

• Date & time: Monday, 12 January 2026, 18:15
• Speaker: Prof. Dr. jur. Thomas Schlegel (Frankfurt)
• Topic: “The untapped potential of integrated care – how sectoral separation in the German Social Code (SGB V) hinders care for chronically ill patients”

🌆 Spreestadt Forum & Berlin Hospital Seminar — Winter Semester Kick-Off

On behalf of the scientific directors Prof. Busse and Prof. Kersting, the Spreestadt Forum and the Berlin Hospital Seminar are pleased to invite community members to their first lecture of the 2025/26 winter semester.

📣 Speakers:
Ingo Goldammer & Tobias Orthmann
(Managing Directors of the Regional Health Center Holzminden)

💡 Topic:
The Regional Health Center Holzminden as a blueprint for cross-sectoral health care (“Level 1i”) — exploring innovative models that bridge outpatient and inpatient services.

📅 Date & Time:
Monday, 08 December 2025
18:00 c. t. (18:15 start)

📍 Location:
Conference Rooms 1 & 2
National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians
Herbert-Lewin-Platz 2, 10623 Berlin

💻 Hybrid Format:
Participation is possible on-site or online.
The digital access link will be published on the evening of the event on the organizer’s website. Spreestadt-Forum und BKS - TU Berlin

🎟️ Free of charge & no registration required!

🧭 The full program overview is available online under Spreestadt Forum and Berlin Hospital Seminar.
For questions, please contact the team: mig@tu-berlin.de.

🌍 Save the Date: World AIDS Day 2025 Event in Geneva 

UNAIDS, WHO and the Global Fund will host a special World AIDS Day event on Monday, 1 December 2025, from 15:30 to 17:00 CET in Geneva. The gathering will feature three interlinked panels exploring how recent funding disruptions threaten to reverse decades of progress in the AIDS response. At the same time, speakers will spotlight powerful stories of community resilience and call for renewed global solidarity. ✨

Participants can join in person at UNAIDS, Avenue Appia 20, Geneva, or online via the organizers’ social channels.

Live Stream via Youtube: Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response - World AIDS Day 2025

UHC High-Level Forum 2025 | Tokyo (TBC) | 6 December 2025

Global health leaders will gather in Tokyo for the UHC High-Level Forum 2025, co-hosted by the Government of Japan, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Bank. The event aims to accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC)—ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access the health services they need without financial hardship. 🌍🏥

The Forum is part of Japan’s broader commitment to advancing UHC, including the launch of the new UHC Knowledge Hub, which supports capacity-building and policy action in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Key objectives include:
• Reviewing global progress and identifying key challenges in achieving UHC
• Strengthening partnerships and alignment across governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector 🤝
• Sustaining political momentum toward global UHC by 2030

Date: 6 December 2025
Location: Tokyo, Japan (TBC) and Online via Youtube livestream
Co-hosts: Government of Japan, WHO, World Bank
Program highlights: High-level discussions, UHC Knowledge Hub launch ceremony, and a multi-stakeholder forum ⚙️

Expected participants include representatives from international organizations, public-private partnerships, ministries of health and finance, philanthropic actors, civil society, and the private sector.

A key milestone event for advancing global health equity. ✨

Digital Health Lecture Series – Winter Term 2025/26 💡🩺💻

As part of the interdisciplinary lecture series “Digital Health: Innovative Research Projects,” experts from academia, healthcare, and industry explore how digital transformation can improve healthcare delivery in Germany. Across three sessions, they present cutting-edge research, discuss challenges, and engage with the public on emerging solutions in digital health.

Featured Session: Eye-Tracking for Communication in Intensive Care 👁️💬

Date: 11 December 2025, 18:00
Location: FernUniversität in Hagen, Campus Hagen (and online via Zoom)

This session features Dr. Christopher Ull (BG Universitätsklinikum Bergmannsheil Bochum) and Dr. Christina Ingwald (FernUniversität in Hagen), who provide insights into their interdisciplinary project on eye-tracking technology for patients with limited or no speech ability—such as intubated ICU patients.

The lecture addresses:

• How eye-tracking can support communication of pain, needs, and autonomy
• Psychological and medical perspectives on technology-assisted communication
• Practical experiences from clinical settings
• Opportunities and barriers to integrating such tools into everyday care

Participants onsite can also enjoy a post-event networking session with snacks and drinks.

📍 Series Locations: Campus Berlin, Campus Hagen, Campus Bonn + Zoom
📅 Dates: 06.11.2025, 11.12.2025, 22.01.2026 – each at 18:00
💰 Free participation

📢 BEMC Talk: “Interpretational errors in causal inference and how to avoid them”

The BEMC series invites the community to a hybrid lecture on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. featuring Aaron Sarvet (University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA). 🌎📊

In his talk, Sarvet will explore how causal inference—originally rooted in practical, discipline-based questions—has evolved into a framework that now shapes which questions are asked and how evidence is interpreted. He will introduce the concept of “identity slippage,” an interpretational error increasingly observed in causal research, and demonstrate how recognizing this error is essential for sound public health and clinical decision-making. Case studies from mediation analysis and instrumental variable analysis will illustrate these challenges and their solutions. 🔍📈

📍 In-person: Lecture Hall 21 (formerly Paul-Ehrlich-Hörsaal), Virchowweg 4, CCM
📝 Registration (in person): https://forms.gle/qZPpF8GTfqeqJ55p7

💻 Online via Zoom: https://eu01web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_m-Sxmz6zQt-6RxDF7GxkFg
🌐 Not in Berlin? Join via livestream!

A great opportunity for anyone interested in strengthening the bridge between causal theory, statistical interpretation, and real-world public health impact.

📢 Lecture Invitation: “Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA): Learning from Scotland”

The Platform – Charité Health Services Research invites the community to a special lecture on how health innovations can be systematically implemented and scaled for real-world impact. While many promising innovations emerge in healthcare and health services research, their adoption often remains fragmented. Scotland is leading the way with one of the world’s first national programmes designed to integrate innovation implementation into a structured process for widespread uptake. 🌍💡

Dr John Thomson, National Associate Clinical Director at NHS Scotland’s Centre for Sustainable Delivery, will share insights from Scotland’s Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) programme, including practical examples, enabling conditions, and lessons for international health systems.

📅 Date: Thursday, 4 December 2025
⏰ Time: 3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
📍 Location: Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Lecture Hall Hörsaal Innere Medizin (HS 22), Sauerbruchweg 2 (barrier-free access via Virchowweg 9)
💻 Online participation: Possible via MS Teams
📝 Registration required by 1 December 2025

All interested colleagues are warmly invited to join this event and explore how countries can accelerate the adoption of impactful innovations for better patient care. 🚀

🌍 RKI-ZIG Talk: Eastern DRC and Global Health Vulnerability 🩺✨

🧠 BEMC Talk | Aaron Sarvet (University of Massachusetts Amherst) | November 19, 2025

Join the next BEMC Talk on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at 4:00 PM (CET) — a hybrid event featuring Aaron Sarvet from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (USA). He will speak on
🎓 “Interpretational errors in causal inference and how to avoid them.”

In his talk, Sarvet explores how subtle misinterpretations — termed “identity slippage” — can distort causal inference and affect public health and clinical decision-making. He will present case studies from causal mediation and instrumental variable analysis, illustrating how recognizing such errors improves the translation of data into public good.

📍 In-person: Lecture Hall 21 (formerly Paul-Ehrlich-Hörsaal), Virchowweg 4, CCM
💻 Online: Via Zoom
📝 Register now

Don’t miss this insightful session blending methodological rigor and real-world impact in causal inference research! 🌍✨

🌍 WHO Hub Speaker Series N°12 | Season II: Protecting the World – Moving Rapidly Together

🧠 Bridging Research and Practice to Strengthen Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence

The WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence and the Charité Center for Global Health invite the public health community to the 12th session of their Speaker Series, exploring how research and practice can come together to enhance global pandemic preparedness.

This session highlights insights from the Inaugural Research Fellowship in Public Health Intelligence, showcasing five projects that span the entire “data journey” — from data generation and governance to integration, analysis, and translation into policy and practice. The discussion will illustrate how breaking down silos between research, surveillance, and policy can help create faster, fairer, and more connected health intelligence systems.

Building on the 2024 theme “Protecting the World: Moving Rapidly Together,” this event continues the conversation on how multidisciplinary collaboration and innovation can make the world more resilient to health emergencies.

📅 Date: 4 December 2025

🕕 Time: 18:30–20:00 (CET)

📍 Location: WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, Berlin, Germany

💻 Format: Hybrid (In-person & YouTube Livestream)

👉 Due to limited on-site capacity, early registration is encouraged!

When: Thursday, 6 November 2025

• In person: 15:00–16:00 (RKI, Historical Lecture Hall, Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin)
• Online (WebEx): 17:00 (per WebEx listing, UTC+02) → time info differs from in-person listing; please double-check before joining

Speakers:

• Steph Gordon, Senior Data Analyst, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
• Annkathrin von der Haar, Research Associate, Office for Climate Change & Health, RKI

Format: Two short presentations + Q&A

Registration (in person): email ZIG-Talks@rki.de

Join online (WebEx):

• Link: https://rki.webex.com/rki-en/j.php?MTID=m92dc604a79dcf8a1b5ed293a5cf20684
• Webinar no.: 2734 856 0948
• Password: kP7GqpSJ@53 (57747775 when dialing)
• Dial-in (Germany): +49-619-6781-9736 | +49-89-95467578
• Access code: 273 485 60948

Expect concise insights on measuring climate–health impacts and indicator development from both Australian and German perspectives—perfect for practitioners, researchers, and policy folks.

On the occasion of World One Health Day (November 3), the city of Lyon will host the One Sustainable Health for All Forum (OSH for All Lyon 2025) — a global gathering of experts and stakeholders in human, animal, and environmental health.

For four inspiring days, Lyon will become the capital of sustainable health, bringing together researchers, NGOs, foundations, companies, and institutions from around the world to turn the “One Sustainable Health” vision into action at the intersection of health, environment, and society.

✨ Highlights include:

• Insights from 10 International Working Groups on key topics such as sustainable food systems, environmental health, education, governance, and equitable access to care.
• The launch of the OSH Factory, a collaborative hub for co-creating real-world solutions linked to One Health, Planetary Health, and the SDGs.
• Side events and workshops to connect and strengthen the international OSH community.

Building on previous editions in Lyon (2023) and Dakar (2024), this year’s forum continues a

👉 Join the movement in Lyon or online to co-create pathways for action across health, environment, and social well-being!