Author: Aldo Gorga

EuroNet MRPH logo with the full name of the network, European Network of Multidisciplinary Residents in Public Health.

Spring Meeting 2024 in Madrid: Public Health Advocacy in Action

From Opportunity to Policy Impact: Public Health Advocacy in Action

Under the theme of “From Opportunity to Policy Impact: Public Health Advocacy in Action,” more than 150 European residents gathered in Madrid from May 9 to 11 to advocate for the role of “Public Health Advocacy” at the Spring Meeting Madrid 2024. Organized by the Association of Preventive Medicine and Public Health Residents (ARES MPSP), the event addressed the role of youth, planetary health, the destigmatization of mental health, universal health coverage and equity, the commercial determinants of health, and the health of migrant communities. The event was held at the Ministry of Health of Spain.

The opening ceremony featured the participation of Director General of Public Health and Health Equity (DGPH), Pedro Gullón, who celebrated the youth’s role in public health advocacy and emphasized the importance of putting health on all policy agendas. The President of EuroNet MRPH, Marta Caminiti praised the growth of the network and the importance of a united voice in public health. The Coordinator of ARES MPSP, Antonio Pujol de Castro highlighted the power of unity and associationism, acknowledging the contributions of various institutions. And the President of the Organizing Committee, Maryoli Veloso Fraigola emphasized our collective responsibility in public health advocacy and celebrated the event’s sustainability efforts, including vegan catering to reduce our carbon footprint. 

Among the speakers were representatives from different national and international associations such as WHO, the EPHA, the EUPHA, YHO, Planetary Health Alliance, Save the Children, the International Organization for Migration, ISGlobal, Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine, Salud por Derecho, Association for fair Access to Medicine, CEEM, and National School of Health (ENS). 

Francesca Zanni, advisor in the Quadripartite working group on Youth Engagement for AMR (WHO, FAO, UNEP, WOAH) and former President of EuroNet, stated that youth was a crucial stakeholder in public health. This is not only because they represent a significant portion of the world’s population but also because youth brings expertise to the table.  “We must ensure that the engagement opportunities we participate in are truly meaningful, and for that, we need to demand respect from the institutions that involve us. Being in a position to advocate for youth is a privilege influenced by financial independence, social factors, nationality, and caregiving responsibilities at home. Once you occupy that space, strive to keep it accessible to everyone.”

The event concluded on May 11 at the Ateneo de Madrid with the European Scientific Contest. The event was sponsored by Spanish Society for Healthcare Quality and Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Health Management, and had the collaboration of the Ministry of Health, the Madrid DGPH, the Ateneo de Madrid, Spanish Society of Epidemiology, Madrid Public Health Association. 

Maryoli, President of the OC said: I would like to thank the organizing committee for ensuring that this event showcases our commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. We’re really proud that this event has been organized without any financial support from the industry, thanks to the EuroNet B&L and the collaborating societies that have supported us. In line with our commitment to sustainability, we’ve opted for vegan catering, not only for its low carbon footprint but also to support local and social economies. By choosing locally sourced vegan options, we aimed to reduce our environmental impact while contributing to the growth of our community.

Antonio Pujol de Castro, Coordinator of ARES MPSP, stated “The world is changing and medical and health professionals must be agents of social change for equity.”

Summaries of the panel discussions can be found on our SM social media channels.

Thank you very much to all of you who participated, and we will see you at SM25!

EuroNet MRPH logo with the full name of the network, European Network of Multidisciplinary Residents in Public Health.

Winter Meeting 2023, Online

We listened to the exciting keynote by Juliette McHardy, Consultant on the Commercial and Economic Determinants of Health at the World Health Organization.
Juliette talked about the strategies and tactics used by the corporate world to affect public health decision making

We announced the newly elected Board and Leads of EuroNet for year 2024

We presented the Network activities and accomplishments in 2023

EuroNet MRPH logo with the full name of the network, European Network of Multidisciplinary Residents in Public Health.

Spring Meeting 2023 in Genoa: Health in a Changing World

Health in a changing world – Climate change and environmental emergency: from prevention to consequences

Genoa EuroNet Spring Meeting 2023

Record number of participants and immense success for The Annual Spring Meeting of EuroNet MRPH, which was held in Genoa from the 21 to the 23 June 2023.

More than 200 professionals of the world of Public Health came from all over Europe such as Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Norway, England, Croatia, France, Ireland and Turkey. This helped make this conference a global forum for discussion and exchange of ideas.

For the first time in Genoa, the event touched on crucial points in the current debate in the scientific world, hosting speakers and moderators of considerable cultural depth and experience.

The congress, titled “Health in a changing world – Climate change and environmental emergency: from prevention to consequences” addressed several issues with a One Health and Circular Health approach: climate change and the consequent modifications of the planet in which we live, the effects of pollution on ecosystems, the new frontiers of vaccinology and biotechnology, as well as the compelling need to effectively communicate the importance of global health care not only to policy makers and academia, but also and especially to the general public, in order to induce the empowerment necessary for change.

Plenary sessions, interactive workshops and panel discussions among experts enriched the event and were received with enthusiasm and interest by all participants.

A particularly significant aspect of this congress was the commitment to sustainable environment. The organization made sure that the event was completely eco-friendly, using recycled and recyclable materials. In addition, instead of distributing traditional gadgets, a project was initiated in collaboration with ZERO CO2, which led to the planting of trees in the Corniglia area of the Cinque Terre with the aim of cutting down carbon dioxide emissions.

This Initiative demonstrates the awareness and concrete actions in contributing to the mitigation of climate change.

Particular audience participation was registered in the interactive workshops, which put the spotlight on the health of the planet, mental health and eco-anxiety, climate change education, and the communication of health and science topics, and the European science contest, which awarded research and innovations from across Europe.

Among the prominent national and international speakers who spoke at the congress, it is only right to mention the presence of Professor Ilaria Capua, who gave a concluding speech on the topic of Circular Health that left the audience in the hall with many insights to ponder.

In conclusion, the EuroNet MRPH Annual Spring Meeting, organized by the School of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine in Genoa, played a key role in raising the alarm about climate change and in indicating the importance of immediate action to protect the health of people around the world.

With the input of internationally renowned experts, unforgettable events and strong environmental sustainability, this congress will remain in the memory of all participants as a pivotal moment in the struggle for a healthier and more sustainable future.

EuroNet MRPH logo with the full name of the network, European Network of Multidisciplinary Residents in Public Health.

Winter Meeting 2017 in Lisbon

The challenge was not only to organize the next EuroNet MRPH Winter Meeting in Lisbon, but also to create the first Medical Residents of Public Health Conference in just 4 months and with a very low budget!

The EuroNet’s Portuguese team was very enthusiastic about this idea, as the country has experienced an increase in the number of MRPH in the last few years; Lisbon is also now a very popular city for tourism and Portugal had not hosted a EuroNet MRPH meeting since the end of 2014. Also, there was no better way to celebrate 5 years of Portuguese EuroNet MRPH membership – a network that is also having an excellent year so far!

The YPHE – Young Public Health in Europe (EuroNet MRPH Winter Meeting) took place in Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública/Public Health National School, from the 30th November to the 2nd December. There were 71 participants, from 9 member countries, of which 33 were Portuguese, making it the biggest meeting in EuroNet MRPH history.
The well-prepared, rich and detailed Scientific program was great! The first session on 30th November – “From data to knowledge” – presented the importance of using data, especially in the emergency field. This was followed by two workshops: one about communication, with a fascinating journey through high-impact communication and some key points when storytelling; the other workshop was titled “inside the mind of an epidemiologist”. A session on training and professional development in Public Health raised a very interesting debate, where questions and interventions from participants were welcomed. Other stimulating workshops included: the using of social media in research; how to get what you want from meetings; and drug monitoring and effectiveness. The quality of the workshops caused the young MRPH some difficulty when choosing between sessions!

The 1st December was the highlight of the scientific programme: a session about how data will shape our cities from a PH perspective and then the last big challenge: “the elevator pitch”. Delegates were divided into small groups and tasked with looking for creative solutions for PH problems. It was an incredible adventure, every group prepared a 3 minute presentation. Some observations? Suffice to say, we loved developing HEALTH4ALL in this friendly, funny, amazing way. The afternoon provided the perfect opportunity to show so many of the 1st year MRPH the EuroNet style and its pillars: networking, internship and research.

However..…what would be a EuroNet meeting without the social events?
The social programme aimed to create strong bonds between EuroNet’s members and facilitate cultural exchanges and discoveries. And because we were in Portugal, the programme was as “quente” as the weather!

The first two social events occurred in the restaurants of Lisbon. During the first one, we listened to Fado, which is a popular kind of music with melancholy themes and strings instruments. The second night involved an European Public Health quiz! We split into mixed-country teams to try to answer the 30 questions and compete for the prize! (For the winning team: special thanks to Damir and the Croatian wine lovers.) Each event progressed to partying in the bars and clubs of the city.

For the third social event, the nightlife was traded for a cultural visit to the neighbourhood of Belém, accompanied by two guides. We walked through Belém, learning about all its history: from the big earthquake of 1755, to the story of boats leaving the harbours to discover the world, expanding the Portuguese empire; from the story of the royal family to the presidential palace of today. And of course the history of the “pastéis de Belém”, that we not only listened to but also tasted!

The consensus was that the 2017 Euronet meeting had been an enjoyable success. The choice of Lisbon allowed us to enjoy the sun and the Portuguese team did a fantastic job of organising an array of interesting speakers and workshops, information, lunches and other things. A lot of new faces joined the network in this meeting and we hope that more will continue to do so, to help the young European Public Health community flourish. Can’t wait to see 2018!

Mariana Carrapatoso, Viviana Santoro, Melchior de Giraud d’Agay, Matt Robinson
Public Health Medical Residents from Portugal, Italy, France and Ireland

EuroNet MRPH logo with the full name of the network, European Network of Multidisciplinary Residents in Public Health.

Summer Meeting 2017 in Motovun

This year EuroNet Summer Meeting was in the beautiful city of Motovun in the Istrian hills of Croatia. Our wonderful hosts were the Croatian EuroNet team and the Croatian Public Health residents, consultants and colleagues from across the country. Twenty-one EuroNet members attended from 8 member countries. The meeting was coupled with the Croatian National Health Systems and Health Policy Conference, which provided a great opportunity to network and exchange knowledge and ideas.

Developing and building on existing partnerships was a key topic at the Summer Meeting. As EuroNet MRPH grows in size, we know that the partnerships we form and the work we can do with partner organisations becomes more and more important. One of the organisations we have a partnership with is European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), who will be organising a health advocacy workshop for us in Brussels on 28 and 29 September 2017. The workshop has proved hugely popular and is now full! A newly strengthened partnership is with the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER). ASPHER wants to reform the public health curriculum, by defining competencies a public health professional should have. We spent time discussing how competencies are integrated into the various European curricula. Furthermore, ASPHER had asked for a member of EuroNet to sit on their Executive Board and on their professionalisation committee: a great opportunity to further strengthen the relationship between ASPHER and EuroNet MRPH and work together more closely in future.

Internships are one of the core areas EuroNet works on, acting as a mediator between resident and institution, promoting opportunities for residents and actively searching for internship institutions. Goals this year are to institute internship tutors, to do a follow up study of the past three years, to evaluate the past six months, to plan the next year and to get more national and international placements, so the working group have a busy agenda ahead!

The EuroNet Platform launched during the Spring Meeting in Strasbourg is now LIVE and ready to go! The Platform is a unique new digital platform that gives residents the opportunity to collaborate on public health research projects. Visit the platform at www.euronetplatform.com.

The meeting was an opportunity to hear from colleagues from around Croatia about the work they are doing and learn from them. We were really lucky to receive a talk from the Cochrane Collaboration Team and we also heard from Professor Stjepan Oreskovic on the issue of leadership, something that as a group we know is important area for us to develop during residency to be able to effectively lead and manage change within our organisations.

Planning ahead: at the European Public Health conference in Stockholm this November we are co-organising a workshop with EuphaNXT and Young Forum Gastein about presenting a scientific work to a non-scientific audience. There will be two speakers; a journalist and a public health professional with experience in communicating with a variety of audiences and working internationally in public health.

As you know, EuroNet has always been a place to make both work links and long lasting friendships, and the meeting provided plenty of opportunity to get to know each other better over delicious food and drink.

See you in Lisbon!

EuroNet MRPH logo with the full name of the network, European Network of Multidisciplinary Residents in Public Health.

Spring Meeting 2017 in Strasbourg

As you may have read elsewhere on this website, EuroNet members meet each other face to face three times a year to exchange experiences and ideas and to make sure the network keeps running smoothly. The 2017 Spring meeting took place in Strasbourg, France.

What made this meeting extra special was the launch of EuroNet Platform, a unique new digital platform that gives residents the opportunity to collaborate on public health research projects (see www.euronetplatform.com). This launch took place on Friday morning in an equally unique location: the European Parliament in Strasbourg. After the launch, there was a tour of the Parliament, to give those with political aspirations their very first taste of Europarliamentarianship.

Friday afternoon was filled with interesting lectures by various public health professionals from Strasbourg University. On Saturday, we had our General Assembly and we worked on the various EuroNet MRPH working groups. You can read all about these working groups elsewhere on this website.

Two very full days indeed! Luckily, fun is also an important objective of EuroNet MRPH, and so there was enough time left in the program for tarte flambée, sauerkraut, wine and French karaoke. Pictures of this part of the program will remain in an undisclosed location.