EHMC 2026 Conference Programme
DAY 1 – Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Campus South Main Hall
Health systems across Europe are facing profound transformation driven by demographic change, technological advances, environmental pressures and evolving societal expectations. Ensuring that health systems remain resilient, equitable and sustainable requires more than strategic vision. It requires the capacity to translate long-term priorities into concrete action within organisations, regions and national systems.
Health management therefore plays a critical role in navigating complexity and enabling system transformation. Leaders across policy, healthcare organisations and education systems are increasingly called upon to connect long-term strategic priorities with practical implementation, ensuring that reforms translate into tangible improvements in care delivery, workforce capacity and system performance.
This discussion brings together perspectives from health workforce research, European policy and regional governance to explore how strategies can be effectively implemented across different levels of the health system. Particular attention is given to the role of leadership, workforce development, governance and cross-sector collaboration in translating policy ambitions into operational change.
By examining both strategic frameworks and real-world implementation experiences, the discussion highlights how health managers can strengthen system resilience and adaptability, ensuring that European health systems are prepared for the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing world.
Speakers
- Antoni Peris-Grao, MD, President, European Health Management Association (EHMA); CEO, CASAP – Consorci Castelldefels Agents de Salut, Spain
- Prof Dr Franz Heukamp, Dean, IESE Business School, Spain
- Jaume Duran, MD, Vice-President, La Unió; CEO, Fundació Sanitaria Mollet (FSM), Spain
- Mr Salvador Illa i Roca, President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain
- Ms Marta Villanueva Cendán, Councillor for Health, People with Disabilities and Strategy against Loneliness, Barcelona City Council, Spain
Facilitator
- Ms Federica Margheri, Executive Director, European Health Management Association (EHMA), Belgium
Stretch your legs and get ready for the first round of sessions
The following papers will be presented:
- Strengthening continuity of post-stroke rehabilitation through community-oriented social enterprise in rural Thailand (ID 69)
Prof Dr Patcharee Komjakraphan, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand - The C17 Network: a strategic alliance for quality, equitable and sustainable care across Catalonia (ID 379)
Dr Olivia García, Hospital de Sant Celoni, Spain - An integrated clinical network model for community-based chronic care in a rural, ageing area of Tuscany: Rationale, methods, and impact on avoidable utilisation (ID 405)
Dr Marzia Sandroni, AUSL Toscana sud est – Casentino District Director, Italy - Making and unmaking network integrity in healthcare policy (ID 436)
Dr Oemar van der Woerd, Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands - Territorial governance and integrated care networks: Lessons from Brazil and Italy (ID 466)
Dr Camila Avarca, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil - From evidence to action: community-based patient support platforms for obesity and NCDs in resource-constrained health systems (ID 474)
Prof Dr Nino Mikava, Business and Technology University, Georgia - Shared temporalities: Intersubjective time experiences in the social networks of people with chronic illness (ID 482)
Dr Paul Gemmel, Ghent University, Belgium
The following papers will be presented:
- Co-creation as a prologue for organisational development: managers’ and employees’ perspectives on mental health promotion in the workplace (ID 32)
Ms Hanna Tervo, University of Eastern Finland, Finland - Leadership and standardised processes in primary care: Advancing diagnostic safety through organisational integration (ID 111)
Mr Šehad Draganović, IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences, Austria - Patient safety culture in Greece (ID 169)
Dr Andreas Seretis, University of West Attica, Greece - Integrating beyond hierarchy: managerial practices of health and social district directors in Italy through a Mintzbergian lens (ID 170)
Dr Lucia Ferrara, Bocconi University, Italy - Improving maternal care through communication: Insights on satisfaction and perceived safety (ID 187)
Ms Alexandra Kratki, University of Klagenfurt, Austria - From assessment to action: A systematic, integrated framework to inform hospital management decisions (ID 403)
Ms Angeliki Katsapi, Euromediterranean Institute for Quality and Safety of Healthcare, Greece - Information gaps and adverse events at critical care interfaces involving home care: A survey study in Finland (ID 404)
Ms Inka Sylgren, University of Helsinki, Finland
The following papers will be presented:
- Transforming back-office operations to drive efficiency and patient-centered care (ID 20)
Mr Amadeu Arnau, Fundació Assistencial Mutua Terrassa, Spain - Towards a data-driven learning healthcare system: progress from the Netherlands heart registration (ID 90)
Dr Dennis van Veghel, Netherlands Heart Registration, the Netherlands - The outpatient clinic of the future: lessons from practice in the Netherlands (ID 144)
Ms Tessa Moring, St. Antoniusziekenhuis, Netherlands - What have we gained from the digital use of the surgical safety checklist? (ID 245)
Mr Yeşim Türkoğlu, İstanbul Okan University, Turkey - Advancing the digital transformation of the Catalan central balance sheet office (ID 331)
Mr Marc Miró, Agència de Qualitat i Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya, Spain - Digital optimization of operating rooms: a data-driven model for efficiency, safety, and transparency (ID 382)
Dr Claudio Trotti, Centro Ortopedico di Quadrante (COQ), Italy
The following papers will be presented:
- Designing with, not for: co-creation as a foundation for cardiac rehabilitation pathway and study design (ID 185)
Ms Lucrezia Bianca Ferrario, HD LAB – Healthcare Datascience LAB – Carlo Cattaneo – LIUC University, Italy - Redesigning acute coronary syndrome follow-up through a people-centred integrated care pathway at Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (ID 145)
Dr Lina Guiomar Mendieta Badimon, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Spain - Accelerating care for immunocompromised patients: a service design approach to infectious disease risk (ID 173)
Mr Alberto Abreu da Silva, Nobox Healthcare, Portugal - Prevention of falls in hospitalised patients through the integration of artificial intelligence systems (PrevFallAI): an implementation study (ID 206)
Mr Federico Umberto Mion, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale – Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Switzerland - Understanding stakeholder misalignments in cancer follow-up surveillance care: a multi-stakeholder study (ID 301)
Dr Hannes Vanpoecke, Ghent University, Belgium - Redesigning type 1 diabetes care pathways using lean healthcare: a capacity–demand alignment approach (ID 371)
Mr Jeroni Salabert Carreras, Universitat de Girona, Spain - PET-82Rb or SPECT for myocardial perfusion imaging? economic, organisational and social answers to this question (ID 184)
Ms Lucrezia Bianca Ferrario, HD LAB – Healthcare Datascience LAB – Carlo Cattaneo – LIUC University, Italy
The following papers will be presented:
- Cost minimisation analysis of digital-first healthcare pathways in primary care (ID 49)
Ms Alexandra Dahlberg, Harjun terveys, Finland and Petja Orre, MD, Mehiläinen, Finland - Care pathways after chronic disease registration of patients with lower limb peripheral artery disease in France: a retrospective cohort study (ID 130)
Dr Chatpimuk Thipayamaskomon, EHESP, Université de Rennes, France - Ageing and resource loss: interconnected health, financial, and social declines highlight the need for cross-sector health and social policy action (ID 238)
Ms Terhi Auvinen, University of Eastern Finland, Finland - Health asymmetry among older adults: behavioral correlates and healthcare utilisation — a cross-sectional study of 14 countries (ID 258)
Ms Linjing Gong, School of Public Health Cheeloo College of Medicine Shandong University, China - Caring for caregivers: the cost of inaction. findings from a survey on absenteeism and presenteeism in French hospitals (ID 483)
Ms Emilie Chen, EHESP, France
Restaurant Campus North
The next crisis is not a question of if, but when: armed conflict, mass migration, pandemics, economic shocks, droughts, heatwaves and floods. Health systems are under constant pressure—and leadership is the difference between strain and breakdown.
Resilient systems are not built in the midst of crisis; they are led into readiness. Effective leadership—at national, regional and facility level—is essential to anticipate shocks, absorb pressure and adapt in real time. This requires more than technical capacity. It demands clear and timely decision-making, actionable intelligence, and the ability to translate the best available evidence into practice. It calls for coordination across sectors and levels of governance, meaningful engagement with stakeholders and communities, and communication that builds trust, transparency and legitimacy. And it requires sustained investment—before, during and after crises.
This plenary brings together leading voices to explore what effective leadership for resilience and health security looks like in practice. Through concrete examples and strategic insights, the discussion will focus on system-level preparedness, investment choices, and the critical role of hospitals as anchors of resilient health systems.
Speakers
- Prof Naomi Chambers, Professor of Health Management, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom
- Prof Scott L. Greer, Professor of Health Management and Policy, Global Public Health, and Political Science, University of Michigan; Senior Expert Advisor on Health Governance, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, United States of America
- Dr Thomas Kergall, Senior Technical Advisor for Health, Council of Europe Development Bank, France
- Prof Federica Morandi, Professor, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore; Director of Academic Programs, ALTEMS – Graduate School of Health Economics and Management, Italy
Facilitator
- Dr Matthias Wismar, Programme Manager, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Belgium
It’s time to make some new connections over a cup of coffee
Escalating economic and political uncertainties pose multiple threats to the financial sustainability of health systems around the world. Higher energy and food prices, along with AI-driven unemployment, are putting increasing pressure on household budgets. At the same time, economic downturns are slowing the growth of government budgets, while calls for higher defence spending could further limit the resources available for health.
What do these threats mean for progress towards universal health coverage in Europe?
Will affordable access to health care become a luxury countries can no longer sustain, making two-tier access to health care the new normal?
How should health financing policy adapt to meet the challenge of a tighter fiscal environment?
The Focus Session will explore current and future trends in health financing and financial protection in the European Union, identify strategies health systems can adopt to build resilience to shocks, and learn more about the UHC Watch, an online platform tracking affordable access to health care in Europe and Central Asia.
Speakers
- Dr Tamás Evetovits, Head of Office, WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing, Spain
- Dr Jonathan Cylus, Senior Health Economist & Head of London Hub, WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing; European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Spain
- Dr Sarah Thomson, Senior Health Financing Specialist, WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing, Spain
- Ms Triin Habicht, Senior Health Economist, WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing, Spain
Facilitator
- Ms Lynn Al Tayara, Health Financing and Policy Consultant, WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing, Spain
This session is organised in collaboration with the WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing, which we thank for the support to our conference.
It’s networking time! Connect with speakers and delegates
Across Europe, quality of care and patient safety initiatives remain fragmented. They are often project-based, indicator-heavy, and insufficiently embedded in health system governance, leadership, and accountability structures. At the same time, health systems are under unprecedented pressure from workforce shortages, demographic change, fiscal constraints, and rising public expectations.
In response, the WHO Regional Office for Europe, through its Athens Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety, has advanced a new regional vision for quality of care, supported by regional analytical reports, co-created standards, and sustained Member States support activities. This work places quality, safety, and outcomes that matter to people at the core of health system performance, bridging strategy, implementation, and measurement.
This session will present WHO’s whole-system approach to quality of care. It will link regional vision and tools with practical Member State experience. Drawing on country examples, it will illustrate how health systems are moving beyond fragmented initiatives towards outcomes-that-matter-focused, whole-system approaches, including through co-creation, capacity building, strategy development, and performance monitoring. It will also engage conference participants in a structured discussion on barriers, enablers, and transferable lessons across European health systems, with a focus on translating strategy into governance, leadership, and day-to-day action.
This session is organised in collaboration with the WHO Quality of Care and Patient Safety Office, WHO Regional Office for Europe, which we thank for the support to our conference.
The following papers will be presented:
- Driving integrated, person-centred long-term care through digital maturity assessment: findings from the LAUREL project (ID 35)
Dr Rachelle Kaye, EHTEL, Belgium - Buying innovation for resilient systems: a procurement framework for the European health data space (ID 129)
Mr Syed Abrar Ahmed & Simon Lewerenz, ISCTE-IUL, Portugal - Maturity of model healthcare innovation units (ID 141)
Mr Marc Gibert, La Unió, Spain - Unlocking data potential: practical development of the data maturity scan for health and care organisations (ID 164)
Ms Vera van Druten, Vilans the National centre of expertise for long-term care, the Netherlands - Desirability and feasibility of policy options to strengthen system sustainability in Finland: a qualitative study of decision-makers’ and stakeholders’ perspectives (ID 247)
Ms Suvi Tolonen, University of Eastern Finland, Finland - Operationalising transnational co-creation to narrow healthcare innovation gaps in the Danube region (ID 423)
Dr Réka Kovács, Semmelweis University health services management training centre, Hungary
The following papers will be presented:
- The cooperative health insurance system coverage in Saudi Arabia: insight from the household health survey 2018 (ID 7)
Mr Ahmed Alzahrani, Maastricht University, the Netherlands - Applying a shock-cycle framework to health financing adaptation during full-scale war: evidence from Ukraine (ID 66)
Ms Triin Habicht and Ms Olga Demeshko, World Health Organization, Spain - What determines earnings of self-employed physicians in Austria? Evidence from quantile regressions using linked tax records (ID 253)
Mr Christoph Stegner, Institute for Advanced Studies, Austria - Global access to gene therapies: a comparative analysis of regulatory approvals, prices, and public coverage in the US, EU, and UK (ID 255)
Ms Rosa Rodriguez-Monguio, University of California San Francisco, United States - From population health management to smart population health management: a necessary shift? (ID 259)
Dr Claudia Almeida, NOVA National School of Public Health, Portugal - Regional variations in pharmaceutical prescribing in the UK: implications for health system performance and equity (ID 391)
Mr Sriram Subramani, Solutionec, India - Who is investing what in primary health care? A trend analysis across 22 European Union Member States (ID 464)
Dr Marius-Ionuț Ungureanu, School of Political Administrative and Communication Sciences Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania
The following papers will be presented:
- Evaluating the ‘rotating CEO-on-duty’ leadership model and its impact on patient care and operational efficiency in a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India (ID 40)
Dr Anish DL, Believers Church Medical College Hospital, India - Digitalisation of management control in hospitals: an interventionist case study (ID 58)
Dr Andrea Mariani, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Italy - Rehealms: caring for those who care – reimagining hospital spaces through co-creation, art, and governance innovation (ID 68)
Ms Maria Carol, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Spain - Everyone a leader: diffused leadership for resilient health systems governance (ID 110)
Prof Federica Morandi, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy - Future-proofing clinical trial recruitment in primary care: barriers, enablers and ADKAR-based readiness among general practitioners in Northern Poland (ID 279)
Mr Michał Bystram, Department of Surgical Oncology Transplant Surgery and General Surgery, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland - From product assumptions to strategic clarity: evolution of MedTech developer requests in real consulting practice (ID 471)
Dr Olena Chernenko, MedCapitalgroup, Ukraine
The following papers will be presented:
- Surgeon wellbeing, work–life balance and career sustainability: evidence from Italy and an international comparison (ID 80)
Prof Francesca Dal Mas, Venice School of Management Ca’ Foscari University, Italy - Strengthening resilience in cardiovascular care: a practical tool to support health managers and care providers in Europe (ID 230)
Mrs Ariadna Sanz, Servei Català de la Salut, Spain - Psychological and structural factors determining job satisfaction: the combined role of resilience and balance in nurses (ID 287)
Dr Ahmet Y. Yesildag, İzmir Bakırçay University, Turkey - The role of communication in fostering multilevel resilience in hospitals (ID 297)
Prof Neringa Gerulaitiene, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania - Assessing population resilience to health misinformation in the Republic of Moldova: insights from a national survey (ID 386)
Ms Alina Timotin, Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, Republic of Moldova - Evaluation of a care plan based on principles of care: an example from an urban psychiatric and psychosomatic care plan in Austria (ID 422)
Mr David Rösler, Institute for Advanced Studies, Austria
We invite all participants to join our Welcome Reception, the perfect occasion to meet fellow delegates and build connections. Whether you are a long-time EHMC participant or joining us for the first time, the Welcome Reception offers a relaxed and friendly space to network and connect.
Let’s kick off EHMC’s 31th Anniversary edition, and the shared commitment to shaping better health systems for all.
DAY 2 – Thursday, 11 June 2026
Welcome to Day 2 of #EHMC2026!
Health systems today face unprecedented challenges – from political and technological shifts to climate-related shocks. Preparing for shocks is no longer optional; it is essential for ensuring the sustainability of critical health infrastructure, access and equity. The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, in partnership with the OECD, have developed a Health System Resilience Tool – a stress test in form of a structured, system-wide exercise that applies a health system framework lens to a specific shock scenario. Resilience tests are versatile and can be used in different health system contexts and across diverse shock scenarios, including health workforce shortages, pandemics, migration pressures, and climate-related disruptions.
Resilience testing enables decision makers to identify vulnerabilities, leverage strengths, and prioritise actionable improvements. The involvement of health management professionals is an integral part of the exercise. The process relies on shared knowledge and experience, cooperation and coordinated responses across sectors and governance levels, ensuring that remedial strategies are practical and aligned.
In this workshop participants will learn how to conduct a resilience test, develop core analytical skills, and explore real-world examples from a range of European countries and shock scenarios. We will share lessons and practical tips for successful implementation – empowering health leaders to future-proof their systems and respond effectively to upcoming challenges.
Speakers
- Ms Julia Zimmermann, Technical Officer, European Observatory for Health Systems and Policies, United Kingdom
- Dr Steve Thomas, Edward Kennedy Professor of Health Policy and Management, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
- Dr Elizabeth Diago, Associated Researcher, IS Global, Spain
- Ms Lilian Vildiridi, Deputy General Director, Ministry of Health, Greece
- Dr Silvia Gabriela Scintee, Secretary General for Health Services, National Institute for Health Services Management, Romania
Facilitator
- Dr Marina Karanikolos, Research Fellow, European Observatory for Health Systems and Policies, United Kingdom
This session is organised in collaboration with the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, which we thank for the support to our conference.
This session features presentations of the shortlisted abstracts that are competing for the Karolinska Institutet Medical Management Centre (MMC) & EHMA Research Award, an annual award for the best contribution associated with a doctoral thesis related to health management.
The following papers will be presented:
- Patient participation in value-based maternity care in the southwestern Netherlands (ID 13)
Mr Michael van der Voorden, Erasmus University Medical Center, the Netherlands - Value-based military healthcare: aligning patient-centred outcomes with governance and readiness (ID 59)
Col Henk van der Wal, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands - They’re only human after all: examining the central role of staff in hospitals’ response to dynamic environments (ID 260)
Mr Frank van de Baan, Maastricht University, the Netherlands - Exploring the relationship between clinical leadership and patient care quality in the NHS (ID 337)
Mr Aniekan Ekpenyong, Edge Hill University, United Kingdom - Reconfiguring physicians’ advice networks during process-based hospital reorganisation: evidence from a longitudinal network study (ID 365)
Dr Mario Masiello, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy
Facilitator
- Prof Mats Brommels, MD, Medical Management Centre (MMC), Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
The following papers will be presented:
- Same data, different futures? evaluation of a serious policy game using expert focus groups in health workforce scenario planning (ID 196)
Ms Aamina Hassan, Nivel, the Netherlands - Mapping health workforce planning capacity in Europe: results from the first regional survey of HRH units and planning systems (ID 210)
Mr Graham Willis, World Health Organization (WHO), United Kingdom - Towards achieving sustainable health workforce planning and policy: a framework for action planning (ID 212)
Mr Gareth Rees, ESAN, Peru - Moving from theory to practice: applying the HEROES framework for sustainable workforce planning systems in national contexts (ID 214)
Mr Thomas Hughes-Waage, World Health Organization (WHO), Denmark - Models for healthcare workforce planning: how variation relates to healthcare systems, governance and cluster learning (ID 282)
Prof Ronald Batenburg, Nivel, the Netherlands - Designing and building roles for the healthcare workforce of the future (ID 392)
Prof Federica Morandi, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy - Resilience in health workforce planning and policies (ID 442)
Dr Eszter Kovacs, Health Services Management Training Centre Semmelweis University, Hungary - Strengthening data systems for health workforce planning: implementation experiences from the Joint Action HEROES (ID 461)
Dr Zoltán Cserháti, Health Services Management Training Centre Semmelweis University, Hungary
The following papers will be presented:
- Future-proofing health systems: real-world evidence on the economic impact of addressing health behaviours (ID 125)
Ms Souhad Ballouk, Vivoptim Solutions, France - Cost per live birth in medically assisted reproduction: evidence from the last 10 years in Portugal (ID 156)
Mr Eduardo Castela, Saint Joseph’s Local Health Unit, Portugal - Value and burden of infections and antimicrobial resistance associated with critical care (ID 171)
Ms Ana Craveiro, ULS Santo António, Portugal - Nursing leadership and organisational efficiency: a systematic review of economic impact and workforce sustainability (ID 189)
Mr Aleix Fontanals-Jimenez, Universitat de Lleida, Spain - Validating a tool to support cost-efficiency assessment of infection prevention and control programmes: a Delphi study (ID 387)
Prof Eric Tchouaket, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Canada - Comparing primary home care organisational models in Catalonia: an economic evaluation (ID 479)
Mr Sergi Sánchez-Coll, AQuAS, Spain
The following papers will be presented:
- Building a future-ready health management workforce: competency-based and AI-enhanced learning for sustainable leadership (ID 31)
Dr Lior Naamati-Schneider, Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College, Israel - Determinants of trust in AI-supported medical diagnoses: evidence from a quantitative study (ID 55)
Prof Dr Stefanie Steinhauser, Technical University of Applied Sciences Amberg-Weiden, Germany - Governance challenges and opportunities in the adoption of AI-chatbots in elderly care: insights from a Dutch Quickscan (ID 153)
Dr Brent Opmeer, Vilans Center of Expertise for Longterm care, the Netherlands - Strengthen infodemic management by leveraging digital health and AI: insights from focus groups with health managers (ID 220)
Ms Alina Timotin, Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, Republic of Moldova - Transition towards a proactive cardiovascular care model enabled by the Comprehensive Care Platform for Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (PAI-HF) (ID 380)
Dr Adrià Pla, Digital Health Group – Corporació de Salut del Maresme i la Selva (CSMS) – IDIBGI, Spain - Building an AI-ready health workforce: how structured clinical AI training develops and mobilises capability in the NHS (ID 390)
Dr Kathryn Woodwar, The Alan Turing Institute, United Kingdom - Ethical challenges of artificial intelligence in the intensive care unit: preparing healthcare systems for responsible implementation (ID 412)
Dr Thomas Walsh, Tallaght University Hospital, Ireland - Building trust in AI-enabled cancer survivorship care: living lab evidence from rural Romania (ID 443)
Dr Bogdan-Adrian Vidrașcu, Centre for Innovation in Medicine (INOMED), Romania
The following papers will be presented:
- You get what you reward: the adverse effects of policy incentivising inter-organisational collaboration to address healthcare’s wicked problems (ID 46)
Dr Robin Peeters, Maastricht University, the Netherlands - The role of governance and national policies in supporting sustainable leadership practices: a 24-country exploratory study (ID 133)
Mr Thomas Dakin, International Hospital Federation’s Geneva Sustainability Centre, Switzerland - Local health authorities as healthcare ecosystems: a systemic microfoundations-based approach for value co-creation (ID 286)
Dr Francesca De Domenico, University of Palermo, Italy - Popular financial reporting as a tool for health service co-assessment and accountability: an Italian case study (ID 289)
Prof Mariangela Barraco, University of Messina, Italy - From data to action: longitudinal insights on sustainability performance and best practices in Catalonia (ID 293)
Ms Rosa Vidal, Catalan Health & Social Services Association (La Unió), Spain - From contractual governance to organisational transformation: strategic performance monitoring in academic healthcare in Austria (ID 360)
Ms Andrea Schweiger, Karl Landsteiner Institute for Hospital Organization, Austria - +FUTUR: from strategic foresight to organisational transformation in health and social care in Catalonia (ID 364)
Mr Carles Oliete Guillen, Catalan Health & Social Services Association (La Unió), Spain
It’s networking time! Connect with speakers and delegates
This plenary session will provide a concise overview of how European health systems can transform the growing volume of health data into actionable, equitable, and trustworthy decisions. It will address key challenges such as interoperability, usability, data governance, digital literacy, workforce readiness, and considerations related to dignity at work in the context of increasing use of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics.
The session will present Catalonia as a case study of an advanced digital health ecosystem, combining system-level strategies, organisational innovation, clinical practice improvements, and strong university-based research. Through this lens, participants will explore how data-driven decision-making is operationalised at macro (policy and governance), meso (organisational management), and micro (clinical care and patient interaction) levels, with a focus on improving health outcomes.
Using real-world examples and research insights, the session will highlight methods such as robust governance frameworks, user-centred design, and the development of trustworthy, transparent systems supported by digitally skilled professionals.
Participants will gain practical insights into how to overcome current barriers, foster trust in data and AI, and strengthen data-informed decision-making, while supporting effective, sustainable, and people-centred health systems across Europe.
Speakers
- Dr Mireia Espallargues Carreras, Director of Quality and Performance Area, Healthcare Quality and Evaluation Agency of Catalonia (AQuAS), Spain
- Dr Rosa Vidal, Economic Affairs Director, La Unió, Spain
- Dr Natalia Alluè, MD, Medical Director, Fundació Sanitària de Mollet, Spain
- Prof Mireia Las Heras, Professor, Managing People in Organisations Department; Director, International Center for Work and Family, IESE Business School, Spain
Facilitator
- Mr Marc Gibert, Technical Coordinator, Fundació Unió, La Unió, Spain
Respiratory infectious diseases remain an underestimated yet persistent threat to European health systems. Beyond their high clinical toll — accounting for over 324,300 deaths and 34.5 million hospital days in 2021 — seasonal surges place predictable pressure on bed capacity, resource allocation, and the healthcare workforce, frequently disrupting elective and specialised care during winter peaks.
While European policy frameworks, including the upcoming EU Safe Hearts Plan, increasingly recommend immunisation for at-risk populations, their success ultimately depends on health management. Ministries define strategies, but it is health managers who operationalise access, delivery, and uptake at community level.
Across major pathogens — including RSV, human metapneumovirus (HMPV), influenza, COVID-19, pertussis, and pneumococcal disease — the burden spans the life course and continues to destabilise healthcare delivery and workforce capacity. At the same time, respiratory infections act as accelerators of non-communicable diseases, particularly cardiovascular conditions, compounding risks in ageing populations.
Effective prevention requires integrated, cross-pathogen surveillance linked to coordinated life-course immunisation strategies. Strengthening testing and surveillance for under-recognised pathogens such as RSV and HMPV is a prerequisite for proactive health management. Without accurate data, health systems cannot anticipate demand or identify populations most in need of immunisation.
This session will explore how strengthening respiratory surveillance across pathogens and linking it to life-course immunisation strategies can support more resilient health systems, protect the healthcare workforce, and shift from reactive crisis management to integrated care models.
Speakers
will be announced soon
Facilitator
- Mr Zach Desson, Principal Scientific and Policy Advisor, European Health Management Association (EHMA), Belgium
This session is organised in collaboration with Sanofi, which we thank for the support to our conference.
Healthcare systems face sustained pressure to demonstrate measurable value while navigating increasing clinical, organisational and financial complexity. The systematic analysis of multidisciplinary care initiatives that deliver lasting impact offers critical insights for policymakers and health managers seeking evidence-based transformation strategies, particularly where service redesign must align with outcomes, performance and resource optimisation.
This session examines evidence from a multi-year analysis of initiatives recognised through the UNIVANTS for Healthcare Excellence awards. The comparative evidence highlights how organisational practices, diagnostic integration and cross-disciplinary collaboration drive sustained impact across diverse health system contexts. The discussion is structured around seven interrelated dimensions of healthcare innovation: optimisation of resource use, integration of research and clinical practice, redesign of care models, strengthening safety standards, advancement of multidisciplinary collaboration, improvement of communication pathways, and alignment of stakeholder engagement. Laboratory medicine is positioned as a strategic enabler of system-wide coordination, supporting earlier intervention, informed decision-making and continuity of care.
Situated within broader value-based healthcare and system transformation frameworks, the session explores how evidence-informed organisational models support the reduction of care gaps, improved outcomes and more effective resource use across patients, professionals, health systems and payers, with attention to organisational conditions, performance indicators and governance approaches enabling scalability.
Speakers
- Ms Tricia Ravalico, Global Director of Scientific Leadership and Education, Core Diagnostics, Scientific and Medical Affairs, Abbott, USA
- Dr Melissa Ryan, Operational Lead for UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Award Program; Global Senior Scientific Marketing Manager, Abbott, USA
- María Cecilia Martín Fernández de Basoa, MD, Medical Specialist in Clinical Analysis, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
Facilitator
- Prof Federico Lega, Full Professor of Management, Director of Research and Executive Training Centre in Health Administration (HEAD), University of Milan, Italy
This session is organised in collaboration with the UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence awards, which we thank for the generous support to our conference.
It’s time to make some new connections over a cup of coffee
The EU co-funded project ‘OBS-Learning from Progress Addressing Cancer in Europe (OBS-PACE)’ by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, gathers insights on EU countries’ efforts in tackling cancer and how their experiences can guide future policies and investment decisions across and within countries.
Through a network of cancer experts from EU Member States, OBS-PACE collects case studies of innovative measures and key policies spanning across the entire cancer care continuum and implemented at the regional, national, and European levels. Published on the OBS-PACE website, they reflect lessons learned from initiatives across all the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP) dimensions, from prevention and early diagnosis to care delivery and survivorship, including transversal pillars such as digital solutions. Together, they inform a broad set of cross-country analyses and constitute a strong impetus for a focused analysis on tackling cancer inequalities; including through a policy brief on Reducing inequalities in cancer care: A health system approach to implementing change.
This session will provide a platform for participants to share their expertise and lessons learned in the cancer field, as well as learn from other’s experiences in implementing innovative actions and policies to better fight against cancer.
Speakers
- Ms. Louise Junge, Research Fellow, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
- Mr. Antun Aboud, Project Manager, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia
- Mr. Gonçalo Nogueira da Costa, Medical Oncologist, ULS Santa Maria Hospital-Lisbon, Portugal
- Ms. Lucia Ferrara, PhD, Associate Professor of Practice in Healthcare Management, SDA Bocconi, Italy
- Ms. Chloë Mbarushimana, Scientist at Sciensano, Belgium
Workshop facilitator
- Ms Béatrice Durvy, Research Fellow, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
This session is organised in collaboration with the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, which we thank for the support to our conference.
The following papers will be presented:
- Reducing early turnover among new healthcare employees: a multi-component retention strategy at Meir Medical Center (ID 92)
Mr Ehud Packler, Meir Medical Center, Israel - Understanding quality of life through residents’ eyes: satisfaction and relative importance in Flemish nursing homes (ID 191)
Ms Candice Gruyaert, Ghent University, Belgium - Organisational slack and wage differentials for nursing staff: evidence from U.S. nursing homes (ID 218)
Dr Gregory Orewa, University of Texas San Antonio, USA - Exploring management capability in the National Health Service (NHS) in England using a dynamic capabilities approach: a qualitative case study analysis (ID 242)
Prof Tina Kowalski, University of York, United Kingdom - Do higher nursing staff wages reduce turnover? Evidence from U.S. nursing homes (ID 278)
Dr Rohit Pradhan, Texas State University, USA - Analysis of digital reputation in primary care in Catalonia (2016–2026) (ID 350)
Mr Carlos Bernades Carulla, CASAP, Spain
The following papers will be presented:
- Are National Hospital Organization hospitals in Japan efficient? A nationwide data envelopment analysis (ID 116)
Dr Hajime Watanabe, Teikyo University, Graduate School of Public Health, Japan - Association between operational efficiency and financial performance in National Hospital Organization hospitals in Japan (ID 117)
Prof Yoshinori Nakata, Teikyo University, Graduate School of Public Health, Japan - Digital interventions to promote children’s participation in paediatric care: a systematic review (ID 119)
Ms Claire Verkijk, Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University, Netherlands - Clinical and non-clinical benefits of a bio-inductive collagen implant in rotator cuff tear management (ID 183)
Ms Lucrezia Bianca Ferrario, HD LAB – Healthcare Datascience LAB – Carlo Cattaneo – LIUC University, Italy - Future gaps in the public provision of health services in Austria? A mixed-methods analysis for specialists in internal medicine (ID 303)
Mr Clemens Zech, Institute of Advanced Studies (IHS), Austria - Is value-based procurement an overoptimistic vision to date? Five reasons why innovative products take the cumbersome way into practice (ID 340)
Prof Dr Wilfried von Eiff, CKM Center for Hospital Management, Germany - From reactive bed allocation to standardised, data-enabled bed management: hospital-scale implementation and outcomes in acute care (ID 341)
Mr Jeroni Salabert Carreras, Essentia Health Management, Spain
The following papers will be presented:
- Population perspectives on digital health adoption in Germany: lessons from the Telematics Infrastructure, Europe’s largest healthcare digitisation project (ID 41)
Prof Dr Stefanie Scholz, SRH University of Applied Sciences – Campus Fuerth, Germany - Coverage and utilisation of digital healthcare services: a registry-based observational study (ID 50)
Ms Alexandra Dahlberg, Harjun terveys, Finland and Petja Orre, MD, Mehiläinen, Finland - Making digital health work for physicians: adoption drivers, barriers and workflow implications (ID 52)
Dr Marina Veldanova, SKOLKOVO School of Management, Russian Federation - Leveraging theory of change and reflexive monitoring to navigate digital transformation in integrated care (ID 162)
Dr Bellis van den Berg, Vilans, Center of Expertise for care and support, the Netherlands - Enhancing the digital capacities of cancer centres through European-level collaboration: the case of the Joint Action eCAN Plus (ID 166)
Ms Chloë Mbarushimana, Sciensano, Belgium - Organisational commitment and coping strategies in high-strain healthcare systems: evidence from physicians (ID 215)
Dr Gregory Orewa, University of Texas San Antonio, United States - Managing digital work and wellbeing in healthcare: technostress and organisational support in human-centred digital transformation (ID 411)
Dr Alessandra Pernice, LUISS Guido Carli, Italy
The following papers will be presented:
- Systemic barriers and macro-level megatrends in mental healthcare access across the EU (ID 86)
Ms Andromachi Boikou, Q-PLAN International, Greece - Building resilient health and social care systems: insights from a theory-informed multi-case study of floods in Italy (ID 203)
Mrs Clara Del Prete, CRIMEDIM, Center for Research and Training in Disaster Medicine, Humanitarian Aid and Global Health, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Italy - Public-private partnerships in healthcare service delivery – scope, governance and performance: the patient perspective is somehow missing (ID 298)
Mr Federico Umberto Mion, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale – Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Switzerland - What really drives regional performance in Italy’s health system? A PCA approach (ID 458)
Dr Luca Giorgio, Università Europea di Roma, Italy - LLM-enabled post-triage prioritisation: evidence from KONTO Health (ID 470)
Prof Mattia Cattaneo, University of Bergamo, Italy - Centralised access to care and organisational change: evidence from the implementation of 116117 in an Italian regional health system (ID 475)
Ms Michela Bobini, SDA Bocconi, Italy
Room
This year’s dinner will take place at Fosbury Café, a unique venue located on the Mediterranean coast. With its spacious open-plan design, abundant natural light, and panoramic views over the sea, Fosbury Café offers an exceptional setting for gathering, connecting, and extending the spirit of the conference in a truly memorable atmosphere.
The evening will begin with a welcome cocktail at 7 PM, followed by an immersive social Mediterranean-inspired dinner at 8 PM. Set against the backdrop of the sea and the glow of a candlelit all-white dinner, the night will unfold in a warm and elegant beachside atmosphere designed to foster connection, community, and meaningful exchange.
Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy live music, inspiring speakers, entertainment, and a few surprises, creating a vibrant yet relaxed setting to reflect on the conference sessions, share ideas, and strengthen professional relationships. As the sun sets over the Mediterranean, the combination of exceptional food, engaging conversation, and unforgettable seaside views promises a truly special experience.
We look forward to welcoming you for an evening of great food, inspiring moments, and memorable connections by the sea.
Dress code: We warmly encourage guests to embrace smart-casual elegance with an all-white theme, perfectly suited to a seaside evening, think polished yet relaxed attire that blends conference style with Mediterranean beachside charm.
DAY 3 – Friday, 12 June 2026
It’s the last day of #EHMC2026!
The rising number of citizens with multimorbidity makes traditional single‑disease management less effective; also resulting often in fragmented care delivery. European countries are therefore experimenting with alternative, person-centred care models for high-need populations. Person-centred care puts individuals at the centre, shaping care around their goals, values, preferences, and competencies rather than focusing on disease‑specific protocols. Despite the many initiatives, person-centred care has not been structurally implemented in European countries yet.
This panel discussion aims to help policymakers and stakeholders at all levels of the health system with the implementation of person-centred care for multimorbid populations. A new policy brief will be presented on strengthening person-centred multimorbidity care, its evidence base, and its implementation in European care networks.
Speakers
- Dr Mieke Rijken, Senior Researcher, Nivel, The Netherlands; Professor, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
- Dr Iris van der Heide, Senior Researcher, Nivel, The Netherlands
- Mr Nathan Shuftan, Research Fellow, Technical University of Berlin; European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Germany
- Ms Maria Pueyo, Director of Healthcare Services and Participation, La Unió, Spain
Facilitator
- Dr Verena Struckmann, Senior Researcher, Technical University of Berlin, Germany
The following papers will be presented:
- Addressing public health challenges: decoding anti-vaccine communication to prevent childhood vaccine hesitancy in Spain (ID 18)
Ms Alícia García-Oliva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Spain - From design to impact: results and lessons from a multi-country digital upskilling programme for the health workforce (ID 165)
Dr Nóra Fazekas, Health Services Management Training Centre, Semmelweis University, Hungary - Testing models for independent prescribing in community pharmacy: learning about what works, how, for whom and why, based on analysis of work as imagined (WAI) compared with work as done (WAD) (ID 318)
Dr Sarah Willis, Alliance Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom - Building the workforce for quality and patient safety: ten years of healthcare quality management postgraduate programme in Croatia (ID 417)
Prof Damir Ivankovic, Libertas International University, Croatia - Building the workforce for quality and patient safety: ten years of healthcare quality management postgraduate programme in Croatia (ID 417)
Prof Jasna Mesarić, Libertas International University, Croatia - Creating ValEU: a blended innovation training model to build the future health workforce (ID 432)
Dr Steven Howard, University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States - Strengthening evidence-informed policy development in primary care: insights from a Europe-wide participatory approach (ID 445)
Ms Irina Cucu, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania
The following papers will be presented:
- How effective is national breast cancer screening? Evidence from a regression discontinuity on French data (ID 91)
Ms Isabel Cavalli, Université Paris Cité, France - Performance indicators in breast cancer multidisciplinary team meetings in Austria: a comparative study of a university and a maximum care hospital (ID 132)
Ms Andrea Schweiger, University of Klagenfurt, Austria - The role of digitalisation in the success of the Croatian National Lung Cancer Screening Programme (ID 208)
Mr Antun Aboud, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia - Cultural sensitivity and digital cancer communication: evidence from public and private hospitals in Spain (ID 290)
Dr Diego Ravenda, TBS Education, Spain - Future-proofing breast cancer screening through inclusion: lessons learned from women with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers in Austria (ID 307)
Dr Elisabeth Lucia Zeilinger, University of Vienna, Austria - Automated AI-powered diabetic retinopathy screening: health technology and economic impact assessment for Ukraine (ID 451)
Dr Olena Chernenko, CheckEye LLC, Ukraine - Integrating AI-driven diabetic retinopathy screening into primary care: a feasibility pilot from Hungary (ID 467)
Dr Borbála Bessenyey, Health Services Management Training Centre, Semmelweis University, Hungary
The following papers will be presented:
- How is person-centred integrated care (PCIC) experienced in practice?: PCIC as experienced by older people and carers in the context of a national community-based integrated care programme in Ireland (ID 51)
Ms Sarah Murphy, Atlantic Technological University, Ireland - The challenge of advanced frailty: how can it be addressed in primary care? (ID 104)
Dr Vishal Shahani-Shahani, ABS L’Escala – Fundació Salut Empordà, Spain - Person-centred cancer care: a policy imperative for effective and efficient health systems (ID 143)
Ms Madalina Iamandei, The Health Policy Partnership, United Kingdom - Managing integration in practice: implementing the GERONTE model for older multimorbid patients (ID 280)
Prof Lucia Ferrara, Cergas SDA Bocconi, Italy - An integrated, person-centred care model for frailty across healthcare settings (ID 316)
Dr Natalia Allué Orduña, Fundació Sanitària Mollet, Spain - Beyond staffing levels: work environment determinants of person-centred care in nursing homes (ID 368)
MSc Yannai DeJonghe, Ghent University, Belgium
The following papers will be presented:
- Designing responsibility in postoperative telemonitoring: a scenario-based governance framework (ID 182)
Mr Tom Imberechts, AZ Sint Blasius, Belgium - Defining access conditions under the European Health Data Space regulation (ID 211)
Mr Rick Overkleeft, 4MedBox Europe B.V., the Netherlands - When expertise is not enough: governance, accountability and patient voice in a monographic hospital for rare diseases (ID 233)
Dr Anna Bujons, Fundación Puigvert, Spain - Can outpatient pooling scheme reform reduce healthcare expenditures? Evidence from a simulation-based counterfactual analysis (ID 248)
Prof Jiajia Li, Shandong University, China - Operational and infrastructure management as a lever to achieve net zero hospitals. Mollet University Hospital study case (ID 306)
Mr Miguel Angel Martínez Sánchez, Fundació Sanitària Mollet, Spain - Anticipating climate-driven sand fly-borne disease risks in Europe and beyond: foresight scenarios for policy, regulation, and sustainable health system resilience (ID 456)
Dr Maria Maia, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis, Germany - Governing reimbursed cross-border healthcare in the EU: evidence from Italy on access, sustainability, and information gaps (ID 484)
Nicolo Luerti, MD, University of Milan, Italy
The following papers will be presented:
- Medical and care organisations within the patient pathway: what nursing competencies in the patient pathway? Nursing work and cross-functional roles: a descriptive study within hospital care pathways (ID 61)
Dr Nsuni Met, Université de Rennes, France - The burnout–missed care nexus in acute hospitals: a systematic review and meta-analysis with practical steps for hospital leaders (ID 163)
Prof Amanda Rodr, Institute of Nursing Excellence, Royal College of Nursing, United Kingdom - Structural equation modelling of healthcare workers’ COVID-19 preventive behaviours: extending Protection Motivation Theory with burnout and perceived social support (ID 167)
Dr Asli Yildiz, Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Health, Türkiye - Integrating health staff personal skills and organisational support: implications for quality of care, staff wellbeing, and retention (ID 271)
Dr Liron Inchi, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Israel - Towards a real interprofessional primary care strategy (ID 394)
Dr Ionut Chiriac, CASAP, Spain - Strategies for attracting and retaining new generations of nurses (PEEGI24 Project) (ID 431)
Mr Andrés de Juan Ortega, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain
It’s time to make some new connections over a cup of coffee
The following papers will be presented:
- Patient-reported experience, patient-reported outcome and overall satisfaction with care: what matters most to people with diabetes? (ID 6)
Mr Nizar Alsubahi, Maastricht University, the Netherlands - Development of a national model for follow-up of gender dysphoria care in Sweden from a patient perspective (ID 95)
Ms Anastasia Simi, The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen), Sweden - VINCLE: an integrated, people-centred and value-based care model in a tertiary monographic hospital (ID 154)
Ms Esther Franquet-Barnils, Fundació Puigvert, Spain - Telemonitoring and early prediction of complications in automated peritoneal dialysis: a data-driven, nurse-led management model for system sustainability (ID 177)
Ms Sandra Peña-Blázquez, Fundació Puigvert, Spain - From design to discharge: a structured multi-hospital implementation of remote patient monitoring in post-surgical care pathways (ID 186)
Mr Filip Dumez, AZ Sint Blasius, Belgium - Implementing patient and family experience across healthcare organisations in Catalonia (ID 363)
Mr Carlos Oliete Guillen, La Unió, Catalan Hospital, Health & Social Services Association, Spain - Implementing patient-reported experience measures in dialysis: organisational insights from nurse-led care settings (ID 366)
Ms Silvia Mitidieri, Politecnico di Milano, Department of Management Engineering, Italy
The following papers will be presented:
- Low-carbon transport of biological samples in regional laboratory networks (ID 71)
Ms Laura Puigví Fernández, CLILAB Diagnòstics, Spain - Climate emergency management in a regional hospital: lessons for resilience and health system value (ID 123)
Dr Itziar Navarro Zorita, Consorci Sanitari Alt Penedès i Garraf, Spain - From built environment to behavioural environmentalism: an empirical analysis of green building effects in the healthcare sector (ID 228)
Prof Dr Mesut Çimen, Department of Healthcare Management, Faculty of Health Sciences, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Türkiye - Towards circular healthcare: a qualitative exploration of approaches and implementation factors in Dutch hospitals (ID 329)
Ms Maaike Soors d’Ancona, Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Toward environmentally sustainable care: scoping review evidence on implementation conditions and impacts of reusable PPE in hospitals (ID 434)
Prof Nathalie Clavel, Université de Montréal, Canada
The following papers will be presented:
- Developing leadership for sustainability in healthcare: an inner development goals–based programme at Hospital de Sant Pau (Barcelona) (ID 67)
Ms Maria Carol, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Spain - From awareness to action: determinants of surgeons’ adoption of environmentally sustainable practices in European healthcare systems (ID 79)
Prof Francesca Dal Mas, Venice School of Management, Ca’ Foscari University, Italy - A scoping review on interventions to improve environmental sustainability of healthcare institutions and the use of environmental indicators to evaluate their effectiveness: the AmbiSaúde project (ID 201)
Dr José Chen-Xu, NOVA National School of Public Health, NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal - Developing a green workforce: leadership and professional engagement for sustainable healthcare, the Mollet University Hospital experience (ID 309)
Mr Miguel Angel Martínez Sánchez, Fundació Sanitària Mollet, Spain - Publish or perish – do French hospitals disclose their greenhouse gas emissions for vertical differentiation? (ID 433)
Prof Nathalie Clavel, Université de Montréal, Canada
The following papers will be presented:
- “Call first, save lives”: implementation of telephone pre-triage at a local health unit and future perspectives for emergency department access in Portugal (ID 65)
Dr Sílvia Santos MD, Unidade Local de Saúde de Braga, Portugal - From strategy to action: bridging the gap between ML algorithms and clinical triage practice (ID 229)
Mr Muhammed Emre Guvey, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Türkiye - Shaping access pathways for precision oncology: a system dynamics approach to ctDNA MRD implementation in lung, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer (ID 234)
Ms Bianca Cucos and Ms Isha Jerath, The Synergist, Belgium - The effectiveness of an artificial intelligence-based gamified intervention for improving maternal health outcomes among refugees and underserved women (ID 323)
Prof Mohamad Alameddine, American University of Beirut, Lebanon - From strategy to action: our experience implementing HIS-integrated generative AI assistants (ID 489)
Mr Esteve LLargués Rocabruna, Hospital General de Granollers, Spain
Building on previous sessions, the EHMA Programme Directors’ Group proposes a workshop focused on practical teaching methodologies in healthcare management education.
The session is designed as a hands-on exchange of teaching practices. Participants will engage directly with a set of structured exercises used in healthcare management programmes, with a focus on methods that can be readily adapted and implemented in their own teaching.
The workshop will follow a roundtable format. Participants will attend two out of four parallel roundtables across two rounds. At each table, a facilitator will present and guide participants through a specific teaching exercise, centred on a concrete healthcare management challenge.
Illustrative topics may include managing patient flow and hospital capacity, designing quality improvement initiatives, decision-making under resource constraints, interprofessional collaboration, implementation of healthcare technologies, and improving patient experience.
All facilitators will share their teaching materials following the session. The objective is to provide participants with practical, ready-to-use tools to strengthen engagement and learning in healthcare management education.
Workshop facilitators
- Prof Federica Morandi, Professor, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore; Director of Academic Programs, ALTEMS – Graduate School of Health Economics and Management, Italy
- Prof Federico Lega, Full Professor of Healthcare Management, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
This session is organised by the EHMA Programme Directors’ Group, who we thank for their expertise and guidance in building this session.
The following papers will be presented:
- Governing risk, simplifying work, building trust: stakeholder differences in teleassistance adoption (ID 57)
Prof Martina Pipoli, University of Salento, Italy - Co-creating a national health workforce strategy: a governance model built on collaboration and shared leadership (ID 81)
Ms Denis Kordež, Ministry of Health, Slovenia - Health workforce distribution and ageing trends in Romania (ID 373)
Ms Mara Bumbu, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania - Engaging emerging talent to shape the future of health and social care in Catalonia (ID 396)
Ms Marta Forner, La Unió Catalan Hospital, Health & Social Services Association, Spain - Unequal burdens: specialty specific working conditions and satisfaction – insights from the REST JD study (ID 400)
Ms Ema Karmelić, European Junior Doctors Association (EJD), Belgium - Working time, rest, and satisfaction of junior doctors across Europe — implications for workforce sustainability and patient safety (ID 401)
Ms Ema Karmelić, European Junior Doctors Association (EJD), Belgium - How Dutch government policies contributed to nurse practitioner and physician assistant employment and training (or not). Results of a PhD study using a realist approach (ID 478)
Ms Ellen Dankers-de Mari, Radboudumc, the Netherlands
Health systems across Europe face growing workforce pressures driven by demographic change, technological innovation and the green transition. At the same time, health organisations are expected to redesign care models, adopt digital tools and deliver more sustainable services. These transformations depend fundamentally on the skills of the health and care workforce, yet skills development has often been addressed through fragmented initiatives rather than coordinated strategies.
This session will explore how the BeWell European Skills Strategy, which aims to support the digital and green upskills and reskilling of the health and care workforce, can help bridge this gap. Drawing on robust skills intelligence and multi-stakeholder insights, the strategy aligns education systems, employers, policymakers, and professional organisations around shared priorities for workforce transformation. The discussion will also incorporate the perspective of the BRIGHTskills initiative, which focuses on skills development across the health industry ecosystem. By bringing together health systems, academia and industry perspectives, the session will explore how different parts of the health ecosystem are addressing emerging workforce needs.
This plenary session will delve into the critical questions shaping Europe’s health workforce transformation. It will explore what the latest skills intelligence reveals about the future health workforce and how emerging gaps can be addressed through targeted action.
Through a combination of structured expert contributions and moderated discussions, the session will examine how regions, universities, policymakers, and health organisations can leverage the BeWell Skills Strategy and BRIGHTskills resources to turn strategic goals into tangible outcomes. Particular attention will be given to the role of regional ecosystems, education systems and European policy frameworks in supporting sustained workforce transformation.
Speakers
- Prof Dr Ronald Batenburg, Programme Leader, Nivel; Endowed Professor, Radboud University, The Netherlands
- Dr Gemma Williams, Research Fellow, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Belgium
- Mr Michele Calabrò, Director, European Regional and Local Health Authorities (EUREGHA), Belgium
- Dr Marius Ungureanu, MD, Associate Professor and Department Chair, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania
- Mr Denis Kordež, State Secretary, Ministry of Health of Slovenia, Slovenia
- Dr Montserrat Codina, International Project Lead, IESE Business School, Spain
Facilitator
- Ms Federica Margheri, Executive Director, European Health Management Association (EHMA), Belgium
It’s networking time! Connect with speakers and delegates
The following papers will be presented:
- Exploring the impact of eHealth innovations on process waste and variability: a lean management perspective in healthcare (ID 29)
Dr Oskar Roemeling, University of Groningen, the Netherlands - Medical technology suppliers in hospital-at-home care: navigating interoperability and scalability challenges (ID 77)
Ms Yaren Palamut, University of Twente, the Netherlands - How health systems are leveraging artificial intelligence to guide drug use surveillance (ID 120)
Dr Andrew Barnes, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States - Exploration and evaluation of the feasibility of using generative AI to collect qualitative data from publicly available healthcare reports (ID 126)
Dr Lise Elliott, University of Manchester, United Kingdom - The use of health data in the age of AI and digital technology (ID 142)
Prof Carine Milcent, Paris School of Economics, France - Toward a national framework for multimodal medical data and artificial intelligence in healthcare: policy options for Kazakhstan (ID 147)
Mr Sain Shaykhiyev, National Scientific Center for Healthcare Development named after S. Kairbekova Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan - Putting technology to work: strengthening healthcare management in delivering digital transformation (ID 195)
Dr Ross Goldstone, The Health Foundation, United Kingdom - From adoption to abandonment: de-implementing low-value digital health innovations (ID 204)
Dr Amal Fakha, University of Groningen, the Netherlands - Towards scalable European Health Data Space (EHDS) capacity building: cross-case study on EHDS adoption readiness through an implementor lens (ID 240)
Dr Federico Palau Arvizu, NTT DATA, Spain - Evaluating AI readiness in clinical research systems: a mixed-methods study to inform national health policy and competitiveness in Portugal (ID 418)
Dr Vitória Valente Gemas, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública – Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal - Emotional artificial intelligence for healthier, happier and safer ageing at home: a system-level approach to human-centred digital transformation (ID 448)
Dr Alba Barnés Calle MD, AiMa, Spain - Digital therapeutics: potential and implementation barriers from a Polish perspective (ID 459)
Mr Patryk Górski, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
The following papers will be presented:
- Nurse management and leadership (ID 16)
Dr Simone Cappannelli, USL Umbria 1, Italy - Comparing Italian nurses’ and citizens’ perspectives on advanced nursing roles and task-shifting: insights from two large surveys and a comparative discrete choice experiment (ID 159)
Dr Nicola Spezia, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy - Virtual mentorship for leadership development in rural family medicine: experience from Armenia (ID 192)
Mr Samvel Grigoryan, Health for Armenia, Armenia - Managing the sustainability of innovative health workforce curricula: the TEAMCARE project experience (ID 205)
Mr Paolo Michelutti, RSCN, Belgium - Responding to professional identity threat under AI: boundary work and career adaptability in the health workforce (ID 249)
Dr Marianna Frangeskou, Frederick University, Cyprus - Job satisfaction of nurse managers: leadership perspectives in healthcare organisations (ID 252)
Ms Vaiva Danupaitė, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania - Generative AI and the future workforce: a socio-technical framework for responsible integration in medical education (ID 299)
Ms Temitope Bello, University of Chester, United Kingdom - Exploring workforce preparedness for digital health and AI through technostress and digital competencies (ID 372)
Dr Alessandra Pernice, LUISS Guido Carli, Italy - From consensus to action: participatory re-prioritisation of design and implementation requirements for VR-based resilience training in nursing (ID 378)
Mr Martin Ernst, University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten, Austria - Understanding decision-making processes among ICU nurses during perceived missed nursing care (MNC) through sensemaking theory (ID 406)
Dr Tanja Lesnik, University of Klagenfurt, Austria - Measuring quality in physiotherapy practice: developing a workforce-oriented framework for quality management in Croatia (ID 416)
Prof Jasna Mesarić and Prof Damir Ivanković, Libertas International University, Croatia
The following papers will be presented:
- From strategy to action in Spain: scaling a resilience-based universal mental health prevention programme in schools (ID 476)
Ms Ester Camprodon Rosanas, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona, Spain - Co-producing safety: translation, cultural adaptation and field evaluation of a patient-incident reporting tool in oncological care transitions (ID 105)
Ms Larissa Brust, Institute for Patient Safety (IfPS), University Hospital Bonn, Germany - Close to you to care for you: towards zero-restrain healthcare (ID 175)
Dr Cristina Solà-Adell, Salut Terres de l’Ebre, Spain - Do Theory of Planned Behaviour constructs predict weight loss and weight-related behaviours? A systematic review (ID 188)
Dr Muhammad Adzran Che Mustapa, Centre de Recerca en Economia i Desenvolupament Agroalimentari UPC-IRTA (CREDA), Spain - Impact of hospital accreditation on patient safety culture: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis (ID 243)
Dr Nurettin Oner, Ankara University, Türkiye - Transforming early neurodevelopment care: Petit Aspace, the first high-complexity day hospital for children aged 0–3 in Spain (ID 322)
Ms Tamara Biedermann Villagra, Fundació Aspace Catalunya, Spain - Patient-centred evaluation of mental health apps for anxiety and depression: a systematic literature review (ID 393)
Ms Roba Alhaifani, Maastricht University, the Netherlands - Scaling person-centred care through a community of best practices: a system-level experience from Catalonia (ID 397)
Ms Marta Forner, La Unió Catalan Hospital, Health & Social Services Association, Spain - Feasibility of portable ultrasound integration into midwifery-led antenatal care: a prospective observational study (ID 408)
Ms Teresa Sicignano, UOC Family Health Services, Local Health Authority of Modena (AUSL Modena), Italy - Patient-centred approach and oncorehabilitation: opportunities for integration into healthcare systems (ID 493)
Prof Gergana Nenova, Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria
The following papers will be presented:
- Proximity healthcare in Denmark: an empirically grounded typology and its implications for governing decentralised health systems (ID 148)
Ms Kathrine Carstensen, DEFACTUM – Public Health Research, Central Denmark Region, Denmark - Continuity of care in Finnish primary healthcare: current status, future prospects, and systemic challenges (ID 157)
Dr Sara Launio, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland - Reduction of territorial disparities in breast cancer mortality in France: a five-decade analysis (ID 160)
Dr Olivier Grimaud, EHESP, Rennes University, France - From hospital-centric to home-first: a value-based implementation model for hybrid closed-loop systems in type 1 diabetes (ID 209)
Ms María Martínez Mateos, Air Liquide Healthcare, Spain - From hospital-centric to home-first: a value-based implementation model for hybrid closed-loop systems in type 1 diabetes (ID 209)
Dr Georgios Kyriakos, Hospital General Universitario Santa Lucía, Servicio Murciano de Salud, Spain - Intersectoral integration of mental-health and psychosocial-support services for children and adolescents: lessons from a UNICEF project in Italy (ID 244)
Dr Viviana Mangiaterra, SDA Bocconi School of Management, Italy - Variation in continuity of care across four municipalities: evidence from patient records (ID 261)
Dr Kjartan Sarheim Anthun, SINTEF, Norway - Complex systems thinking for rehabilitation technical platforms: a systemic modelling approach (ID 296)
Ms Garance Pflughaupt, Université Paris Nanterre, France - Optimising drug supply workflow through interprofessional collaboration: a quality improvement initiative (ID 333)
Ms Celia González-Guerrero, Fundació Hospitalàries Barcelona, Spain - Developing and promoting effective treatment practices for memory disorders in Europe: Joint Action addressing Dementia and Health (JADE Health) (ID 344)
Ms Johanna Edgren, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland - Governing variability in elective surgery: an analysis of deviations between scheduling and clinical activity (ID 346)
Dr Monica Piana, Centro Ortopedico di Quadrante (COQ), Italy - Towards personalised health systems: a holistic population segmentation framework (ID 367)
Ms Lucia Cosi, University of Salento, Italy - Optimising lung cancer screening in Nordic health systems: a modified Delphi-method study (ID 413)
Ms Ghida Khalife, University of Helsinki, Finland
The following papers will be presented:
- Partnering with staff for access and sustainability: process redesign that tripled margins in a critical-access rural hospital (ID 1)
Dr Jill Waters, Adventist Health, United States - Evidence-based management: from data to strategic decisions in the experience of the public-private partnership (PPP) organisational model between COQ and ASL VCO (ID 19)
Dr Claudio Trotti, Centro Ortopedico di Quadrante (COQ), Italy - Perception, trust, and cost dynamics in the use of generic drugs: a mixed-method study (ID 82)
Prof Ahmet Y. Yesildag, Karadeniz Technical University, Türkiye - Innovative procurement to implement value-based pathways for heart valve diseases through networked care (ID 146)
Dr Alvaro Rodriguez, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Spain - Healthcare reforms and National Health Service efficiency: data envelopment analysis of Clinical Commissioning Groups in England, 2013–2020 (ID 275)
Ms Emma Sinden, University College London, United Kingdom - Assessing evidence-based policy interventions in the living environment and their impact on health: a scoping review and reflection on practice (ID 328)
Mr Jarib Keasberry, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands - Digital health applications in endometriosis care in Germany: policy, governance and implementation challenges from a health management perspective (ID 330)
Ms Rania Abbas, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU), Germany - Building on evidence: mitigating barriers to effective vaccine hesitancy interventions in European health systems – lessons and future directions from VAX-ACTION project (ID 359)
Mr Robert Otok, Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER), Belgium - RADAR-PPI: identifying best practices on public procurement of innovation to tackle antimicrobial resistance within a One Health approach in the European Union (ID 410)
Mr Luis Lucena Baeza, University of Limoges, France - Unlocking the potential of public procurement of innovation for resilient European healthcare systems (ID 460)
Ms Michelle Meys, Hasselt University, Belgium - Evaluation of hospital management reforms in Romania, based on service utilisation performance indicators (ID 473)
Dr Aurora Dragomiristeanu, National Institute for Health Services Management, Romania
The following papers will be presented:
- End-of-life care and the social contract: towards a European framework for solidarity at the end of life (ID 34)
Dr Dheepa Rajan, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Belgium - Navigating competing institutional logics in municipal health and care: lessons for sustainable and resilient systems – insights from a qualitative study in Norwegian municipalities (ID 241)
Ms Kirsti Sarheim Anthun, SINTEF Digital, Dept. of Health, Norway - Embedding community experience into health system governance: the Observatory of Community Experience in Health (OECS) at Salut Sant Joan Reus–Baix Camp as a catalyst for person-centred, sustainable transformation (ID 277)
Ms Raquel Gutiérrez Grau, Salut Sant Joan Reus-Baix Camp, Spain - When voices fade: organisational culture and middle management as gatekeepers of employee voice in healthcare (ID 284)
Mr Eva Krenyacz, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary - Indicator-based governance for total decarbonisation in healthcare organisations (ID 308)
Mr Miguel Angel Martínez Sánchez, Fundació Sanitària Mollet, Spain - Leadership strategies for environmental sustainability in hospitals: the role of sustainability ambassadors (ID 315)
Dr Natalia Allué, Fundació Sanitària Mollet, Spain - Working around the system: how employees navigate structural constraints in high-throughput workplaces (ID 438)
Dr Tera Webb, University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States - Walls that speak: visual cues of psychological safety in the clinical setting (ID 441)
Dr Tera Webb, University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States - Managing beyond the hospital walls: from green hospital to planetary health at regional scale (ID 477)
Mrs Marta Pahissa, Planetary Health Development Centre (ISGlobal + FSM), Spain
Award Ceremony
- Karolinska Institutet Medical Management Center (MMC) & EHMA Research Award
This Award was established to stimulate early career researchers to engage in healthcare management research. The Award will recognise the best doctoral thesis in the field of health management.
- EHMA Awards for best European Paper, best non-European Paper, and Best Poster
Announcing EHMC 2027
Closing remarks
- President of the European Health Management Association (EHMA)