SSPH+ Annual Meeting 2025

BREAKING WALLS

at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), Schwarztorstrasse 48, Bern, on 4-5 June 2025 from 12:30-12:30.

Day 1 / 4 June 2025

How to get to BFH

#TimeTitle/ContentAudience/OrganisationRoom/Information
11:00-12:30Pre-conference: IGC Academic Board MeetingAudience: Upon Invitation
Keynote/Moderation: Arnaud Chiolero & Ann Walser (SSPH+, UNIFR), Joachim Marti (UNIL)

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12:30-13:00REGISTRATION, LIGHT LUNCH & DRINKS


A13:00-14:00Opening Session: Welcome & SSPH+ Initiatives


A113:00-13:15Welcome by SSPH+ and BFHAudience: All
Keynote/Moderation: Luca Crivelli (SSPH+), Klazine Van der Horst (BFH)

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A213:15-14:00Introduction and New SSPH+ InitiativesAudience: All
Keynote/Moderation: Luca Crivelli (SSPH+)

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B14:00-15:00Parallel Sessions
B114:00-15:00IGC Students MeetingWelcome of new IGC students / update on IGC / congratulations to new IGC alumni / student representatives / IJPH: young researcher editorials / postdoc & alumni activities / what’s cooking? Audience: IGC PhD Students, new IGC Alumni
Keynote/Moderation: Arnaud Chiolero & Ann Walser (SSPH+, UNIFR), Joachim Marti (UNIL)

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B214:00-15:00Collaborative Capacity Building for Health Promotion Professionals in Switzerland (cap4HP)Health promotion (HP) is a core field of action within Public Health. HP professionals contribute promising approaches to current health challenges. To strengthen HP professional practice in Switzerland, the objective of this ongoing inter-university initiative is to achieve a shared understanding of systematic and strategic capacity building for HP professionals. The objective of this session is to share, discuss and develop first findings and preliminary results of the carried-out stakeholder interviews and workshop. The envisioned outcome is a collection of feedbacks and inputs from the participants, which will help inform the final steps of the project, including a position paper. Audience: All interested
Keynote/Moderation: Karin Nordström (ZHAW)

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B314:00-15:00SSPH+ Journals - Future DirectionsThe coming year will be a very important time to shape options for the future of the two SSPH+ journals, IJPH and PHR. This interactive plenary session aims to elicit the views and preferences of our community regarding the future publishing model used by the journals. Audience: All interested
Keynote/Moderation: Christopher Woodrow (Swiss TPH), Nino Künzli (SSPH+)

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B414:00-15:00Networking for a Sustainable Health Workforce The Competence Network Health Workforce (CNHW) serves as a platform uniting researchers from Switzerland to foster collaboration and create synergies in the field of healthcare workforce research. This session will present the CNHW’s objectives, its structure, and its role in connecting researchers to address challenges related to the working conditions, wellbeing, and labor market of healthcare professionals. Attendees will learn about CNHW’s efforts to strengthen collaboration within academia, highlight its current focus areas and research projects, and explore opportunities for participation in this unique network dedicated to healthcare workforce sustainability. Audience: All interested
Keynote/Moderation: Tiziana Sala (SUPSI, CNHW), Sabine Hahn (BFH, CNHW)

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15:00-15:30COFFEE BREAK - 30'

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C15:30-16:15New insights on causes of the decline in youth well-beingAudience: All
Keynote/Moderation: Sebastian Mader, Annette Fahr (FOPH)

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D16:15-17:00Swiss Academic Leaders in DialogueAudience: All
Keynote/Moderation: Arnaud Perrier (SAMS) and Luciana Vaccaro (swissuniversities)

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E17:00-17:30One brain, one health, one life: The Swiss Brain Health PlanBrain disorders, both neurological and psychiatric, are the first cause of disability and costs in Europe (and Switzerland) and the second case of mortality. According to the WHO, Brain Health is a state in which every individual can realize their own abilities and optimize their cognitive, emotional, psychological and behavioural functioning to cope with life situations”. The “Swiss Brain Health Plan” (SBHP) was launched in 2022 to (1) raise awareness; (2) strengthen cross-disciplinary and interprofessional training programs for healthcare professionals; (3) foster research on brain health determinants as well as prevention, early detection and interventions for brain disorders; (4) promote a holistic integrated, person-centered public health approach to promote brain health across scientific, health care, commercial, societal, insurance and governmental stakeholders; (5) support, empower, and engage patients, caregivers, and patient organizations, and reduce the stigma and discrimination related to brain disorders. Audience: All
Keynote/Moderation: Claudio Bassetti (UNIBE)

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E117:00-18:00Career Speed Dating EventThis session takes place in parallel to session E. Open the door to the professional world today. Learn how others have shaped their careers after graduation and what drives them in their professional lives today. In a "speed dating" format, you will discover various career options available to you and you will have the opportunity to exchange and discuss on all things relating to next steps in career development.Audience: PhD students and Post-docs
Keynote/Moderation: Student representatives

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18:00-19:00Apéro and Celebration of SSPH+ Honorary Fellows 2025Audience: All

Mensa Rooftop

(3rd floor)

19:30DinnerAudience: Invited persons

Restaurant Röschtigrabe

 

Day 2 / 5 June 2025

How to get to BFH

#TimeTitle/ContentAudience/OrganisationRoom/Information
G08:30-09:00The relevance of public health for health care professions: building bridges for interprofessional collaborationThis presentation highlights the BFH activities in fostering interprofessional collaboration among health care professionals. Key activities include: Interprofessional teaching and research; Academic Practice Partnership: A collaboration between BFH and Insel Gruppe; Lifestyle Interventions: Initiatives aimed at strengthening patients physical, mental and social health and the Swiss Center for Care@Home. These initiatives demonstrate the importance of integrating public health principles into health care practices to improve overall health outcomes.Audience: All
Keynote/Moderation: Klazine Van der Horst, Kai-Uwe Schmitt (BFH)

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H09:00-10:00Parallel Sessions
H109:00-10:00Centering Equity and Justice: Practical Strategies for Early Career Researchers This workshop aims to empower early career researchers by providing them with actionable strategies for integrating equity and justice principles into their research and professional practices. The objective is to build participants' capacity to recognise and mitigate biases, foster inclusive research environments, and align their work with broader societal challenges.Audience: PhD students and Post-docs
Keynote/Moderation: Natalie Messerli (UNILU)

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H209:00-10:00Knowledge Transfer in Public Health: Coming to the Future, Coming from the PastThis parallel session builds on the results of the SNSF Agora project ‘Bridging the Gap’ (https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/215863) and will explore how the transfer of experiential knowledge from the past functions in public health and how it might be improved. Insights from the public health community in Switzerland have been integrated in various ways, for example by applying design methods to develop innovative, sustainable health policy strategies. The goal of the session is to present our framework, based on a systemic design approach, and to co-create future szenarios for managing potential pandemics with participants in the form of a workshop. Audience: All interested
Keynote/Moderation: Kaspar Staub (UZH), Felicitas Högger Niedermann (ZHAW)

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H309:00-10:00Accessible Science: Science Communication for a Lay AudienceThis swissuniversities funded project aims to provide people in Switzerland with an easy way to find out about current research in the field of personal and public health and education. High-quality open access articles from these four independent Swiss journals are to be made accessible to lay audiences in an attractive short form: ▶Swiss Medical Weekly ▶International Journal of Public Health ▶Public Health Reviews ▶Media Pedagogy. This workshop will give a comprehensive insight into the project and welcomes feebdack on strategic steps to enhance communication to lay public audiences in Switzerland.Audience: All interested
Keynote/Moderation: Colette Schneider Stingelin (ZHAW), Christopher Woodrow (Swiss TPH), Maša Davidović (SSPH+)

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H409:00-10:00Healthy up High in Switzerland: promoting sustainable Ageing in Place in high-rise settings The follow-up project “Healthy up High in Switzerland” has expanded the locally anchored recommendations for action for indoor and outdoor spaces, nutrition, exercise and the social environment (neighborhood) in a broader context for the topic “Ageing in Place” in settlements in need of revitalization at the national level. The recommendations for action have been validated and expanded, thus providing extensive knowledge and recommendations for building cooperatives, administrations and architects in the construction industry. This includes promoting the health of all residents, especially the elderly, as well as considering ecological aspects such as heat protection and biodiversity in green spacesIntroduction: The first project "Healthy up High" and its follow-up project "Healthy up High in der Schweiz" will be briefly introduced (aims, focus, target group for the end-product/results - brief overview of the main areas of the recommendations). Workshop activity: Iimagining the daily challenges of an older person (in third-fourth phase of ageing) and mind-mapping what they would need to age in place when living in an older high-rise building and its surrounding communal area. Additionally, considering how such a setting could be adapted most sustainably (economically, socially, environmentally). Recommendations: The recommendations for owners/managers of such high-rises will be presented, including the synergies between the areas. Further group discussion (depending on time). Looking forward until 2050 - how to advance this setting to promote Ageing in Place. Audience: All interested
Keynote/Moderation: Tannys Helfer (BFH)

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10:00-10:30COFFEE BREAK - 30'

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I10:30-11:15Planetary Health TbdAudience: All
Keynote/Moderation: Suzanne Suggs (USI), Jan Fehr (UZH), Milo Puhan (UZH)

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J11:15-11:45Mental Health in StudentsBuilding on the SSPH+ inter-university project "Developing a SSPH+ Initiative for Students’ Mental Health" we aim to reflect on the potential use of the output: 1) mapping of services at SSPH+ universities, 2) survey on mental health (questionnaire), and develop next steps to take (further initiatives). This application is also in the name of Georg Bauer/UZH, who co-leads the project on mental health together with Julia Dratva and Emiliano Albanese. Further involved are Marcel Salathé and other representatives of the SSPH+ unis/UAS, and students.Audience: All
Keynote/Moderation: Julia Dratva (ZHAW), Emiliano Albanese (USI)

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K11:45-12:00Contribution by ETHZAudience: All
Keynote/Moderation: ETHZ Representatives

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L12:00-12:30Wrap Up and SSPH+ Award for best published PhD article in Public Health 2025Audience: All
Keynote/Moderation: Luca Crivelli (SSPH+)

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12:30–LIGHT LUNCH (... GRAB A SANDWICH)

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