Wednesday, June 25: General Assembly (15:00 CEST) & Evening Welcome Reception (18:30 CEST)
Location: Charité Campus Mitte (CCM)

09:30 - 12:30 ASPHER Executive Board (closed meeting)

15:00 - 15:30 General Assembly Delegate Registration

15:30 - 18:30 ASPHER General Assembly
Location: Charité Campus Mitte (CCM), Virchowweg 6 (CCO) Auditorium

The annual members only* Association business meeting will include the Presidential election, Executive Board elections and ASPHER 2030 strategy outline.

* Each full member institution in good standing is entitled to 1 vote; a maximum of 2 delegates will be admitted per member institution, full or associate.

18:30 - 20:30 Welcome Reception

The reception will be held outside the General Assembly room. All Retreat attendees welcome!

Thursday June 26: Conference Proceedings (09:00-17:30 CEST) & Gala Dinner (19:00 CEST)
Location: Charité Campus Mitte (CCM), Virchowweg 14, Lecture Hall 23

08:15 - 09:00 Conference Registration

09:00 - 09:10 Welcome & Introduction

09:10 - 10:30 SESSION ONE - PUBLIC HEALTH: BERLIN & GERMANY

Organised by Berlin SPH (BSPH) this session sets the scene with focus on the public health in Berlin and Germany. There will be insights from the political setting, public health education, and the through-line to the current day from Germany’s historical context.

Session Lead: Tobias Kurth, BSPH Board of Directors

Opening remarks
Ina Czyborra, Berlin Senator for Science, Health and Care (tbc)
Joachim Spranger, Charité Dean

Milestones for Public Health in Berlin
Reinhard Busse, BSPH Board of Directors

Germany's Schools of Public Health - Past, Present, and Future
Oliver Razum, Bielefeld University & Hajo Zeeb, German Public Health Association - DGPH

Keynote 1: The Lancet Commission on Medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust: implications for an understanding of the history of public health in 20th century Germany and beyond
Volker Roelcke, Giessen University

10:30 - 11:00 Break

11:00 - 12:30 SESSION TWO - PUBLIC HEALTH: EUROPE

Organised in partnership with the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (OBS) the session builds and reflects on the country-focused session, presenting trending reforms on the European level, and involving ASPHER members that are part of the HSPM network.

Session Lead: Dimitra Panteli, OBS/TU Berlin

The work of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and its relevance for Schools of Public Health
Ewout van Ginneken, OBS Director

The Health Systems and Policy Monitor (HSPM) network and its Health Reform Tracker
Katherine Polin, OBS/TU Berlin & Wilm Quentin, University of Bayreuth

Roundtable: Health systems and health reforms - how do we convey them to students?
Ewout van Ginneken, Wilm Quentin, Reinhard Busse, involving ASPHER members being part of HSPM network (tbc)

12:30 - 13:30 Lunch

13:30 - 15:00 SESSION THREE - PH WORKFORCE PROFESSIONALISATION

Organised in partnership with the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) and the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), the session offers an overview on implementation progress of the PHW Professionalisation Roadmap. The Public Health Professional Credentialing agenda under the ASPHER presidency 2025-2026 will be featured in the keynote address as a key professionalisation action underway.

Session Leads: Robert Otok, ASPHER Director

Roadmap to professionalizing the public health workforce in the European Region
Kasia Czabanowska, ASPHER Past President & Maastricht University
Emilia Aragón de León, WHO/Europe

Keynote 2: Public Health Certification Programme for Europe
Allison Foster, National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) President
Henrique Barros, ASPHER President & University of Porto

Expert panel reflections:
Tit Albreht, EUPHA President
Mary Codd, ASPHER Core Curriculum Programme (CCP) Lead & University College Dublin
Danko Relic, Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation (APHEA) Director
John Middleton, ASPHER Past President & University of Derby
Polychronis Kostoulas, University of Thessaly
Farhang Tahzib, Public Health Ethics and Law Network Convenor & UK Faculty of Public Health

ASPHER-EUPHA Memorandum of Understanding - signing ceremony

15:00 - 15:30 Break

15:30 - 17:30 SESSION FOUR - PH WORKFORCE PROFESSIONALISATION:
INTERFACE OF ACADEMIA, POLICY & PRACTICE I

Organised in partnership with the European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG), the session highlights real-world scenarios to illustrate the interface of academia with policy & practice. It will include partners' interventions, how ASPHER contributes, and members active on the topics of Emergencies & Health Security, Climate & Health, Vaccination, and Migration & Health; with an intriguing opening keynote address on Solidarity and Public Health.

Session Lead: Josep Figueras, EHFG/ASPHER Stampar Medalist 2006 & Robert Otok, ASPHER Director

Keynote 3: Solidarity in Public Health Practice and Teaching
Hagai Boas & Nadav Davidovitch, ASPHER PH Emergencies Task Force

Speakers in this session will include (20’ per topic):

Disasters and Hazard Emergencies & Health Security Resilience
Paul Barach, ASPHER Senior Lead on Emergencies & APHEA Board of Accreditation Chair
Virginia Murray, Head of Global Disaster Risk Reduction - UK Health Security Agency
Judit Simon, Medical University of Vienna & EU Advisory Committee on PH Emergencies

Climate & Health
Laurent Chambaud, ASPHER Senior Lead on Climate and Health
Eric Twomey, ASPHER Fellow on Climate and Health
Chiara Caddedu, Erasmus University Rotterdam & PHAM 2025

Vaccination
Alison McCallum, ASPHER Group Lead on Vaccination
Carlo Signorelli & Carlo Lunetti, VAX-Action Project - team Italy
Sibel Sakarya, Koç University Istanbul

Migration & Health
Chiaki Ito, Senior Regional Migration Health Specialist for Europe and Central Asia - International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Teresa Leão,University of Porto
Sónia Dias, NOVA University Lisbon & GSMERH 2025

17:30 Closing

18:15 meet on campus in front of Virchowweg 6 (CCO) for those who want to walk (40 minutes) to dinner location at Weilands Potsdamer Platz

19:00 - 22:30 Gala Dinner hosting ASPHER Awards 2025 Ceremony
Location: Weilands, Potsdamer Platz, Theaterufer

Celebrate the Gala Dinner with all members as we confer ASPHER’s annual awards: the Andrija Štampar Medal, ASPHER Research Excellence Award, ASPHER Teaching & Practice Excellence Award, and ASPHER Early Career Excellence Awards.

Friday June 27: Conference Proceedings (09:00-15:00 CEST) & Parallel Satellite Sessions (15:30 CEST)
Location: Charité Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK), Forum 3, Hörsaal 3

09:00 - 09:10 Welcome & Introduction

09:10 - 10:30 SESSION FIVE - COLLABORATION BETWEEN SCHOOLS OF PUBLIC HEALTH (SPHs) AND NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF PUBLIC HEALTH (NIPHs): INTERFACE OF ACADEMIA, POLICY & PRACTICE II

Organised in partnership with the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) the session is focused on the collaborative interface between SPHs and NIPHs. The ongoing IANPHI-ASPHER collaboration on workforce development will be explored through the lens of health data needs to support policy & practice.

Session Leads: Johanna Hanefeld, Robert Koch Institute (RKI) & Vesna Bjegovic-Mikanovic, APHEA Board of Accreditation, ASPHER Past President and University of Belgrade

Introductory presentations on data related work from ASPHER, RKI & WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence by Avi Magid, ASPHER Group Lead on Health Data, Johanna Hanefeld, RKI & Catherine Smallwood, WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence

Roundtable of case studies to stimulate collaboration between SPHs & NIPHs
Geneviève Chêne, ISPED University of Bordeaux & Santé Publique France former Director General
Rok Hržič, Maastricht University & ASPHER Digital Transformations in PH Task Force Lead
Roman Topór-Mądry, Jagiellonian University Kraków & Polish HTA Agency Former President
Iñaki Imaz, ISCIII National School of Public Health - Spain
Nora Veselá, National Institute of Public Health - Czechia & Palacký University Olomouc

10:30 - 11:00 Break and Poster Walk

Exhibitors:
APHEA - Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation
PHR - Public Health Reviews
WCPH 2026 - 18th World Congress on Public Health, Cape Town - September 6-9 2026

Selected poster presentations (not covered otherwise in the programme) include:
EARLY Project - Providing Data and Knowledge on Mental Health and Opportunities for Mental Health in Youth
Resilience without Borders: Cultivating Mental Well-being and Suicide Prevention in Public Health students
WHO's Role in a Changing World: Why It Still Matters
WHO-supported implementation of the ASPHER CCP in Czechia
Alignment of the ASPHER Core Curriculum for Public Health with the WHO Global Competency & Outcomes Framework: A Case Study using Emergency Preparedness & Disaster Management
Curriculum Mapping of the Public Health Clerkship at the UAE University
The Interface of Academia with Policy & Practice through Internships
ASSETS Mentoring Summer School
This is Public Health (TIPH) Global Campaign

11:00 - 12:30 SESSION SIX - PUBLIC HEALTH: GLOBAL

Organised in partnership with the Global Network for Academic Public Health (GNAPH), the keynote address presents Public Health Diplomacy Labs as a powerful solution to prepare a cadre of public health professionals with capacity to comprehensively connect socio-political life through health and advocate for engagement across disciplines. A Deans’ & Directors' Panel will reflect on how the Public Health Diplomacy Lab model can be adapted for Europe and implemented at their institutions. ASPHER Next Generation Platform representatives will consider how Labs could meet the needs of Early Career Public Health Professionals.

The session will celebrate the handover of the GNAPH presidency.

Session Leads: Laura Magaña, Global Network for Academic Public Health & Josep Figueras, EHFG/OBS Director Emeritus

Keynote 4: Public Health Diplomacy & Schools of Public Health
Ashish Joshi, University of Memphis SPH Dean & ASPPH Board of Directors

Deans’ & Directors’ Panel:
Ramune Kalediene, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences
Antonio Sarría-Santamera, Nazarbayev University Astana
Vesna Bjegovic-Mikanovic, University of Belgrade
Martin McKee, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Ariane Bauernfeind, Andalusian School of Public Health

Next Generation Platform Panel:
Pedro Sebastião, Portugal
Lisa Wandschneider, Germany
Karl Conyard, Ireland
Ines Siepmann, United States
Brian Wong, United Kingdom

Stakeholders’ reflections:
Rodrigo Reis, ASSPH Global Committee Lead & Washington University in St. Louis
Marta Lomazzi, World Federation of Public Health Associations

Public Health Reviews Launch of Special Issue on Public Health Diplomacy
Christopher Woodrow, Swiss School of Public Health+ (SSPH+) Journals

WHO-GNAPH Memorandum of Understanding - signing ceremony
with Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus & James Campbell (videolink) for WHO

followed by GNAPH Presidency handover ceremony
Presentation by Laura Magaña, ASPPH President and CEO & Outgoing GNAPH President
Wrap up by John Middleton, ASPHER Past President & Incoming GNAPH President

12:30 - 14:00 Active lunch with campus walk including Robert Koch Institute (RKI) buildings and museum

14:00 - 14:30 SESSION SEVEN:
TOWARDS ASPHER 60TH ANNIVERSARY AND 2030 STRATEGY

This session is a walkthrough of the ASPHER strategy via a Next Generation Panel presenting key agenda priorities, demonstrating how ASPHER members may engage as we move toward ASPHER's 60th anniversary in 2026 and onward to 2030.

The session will be crowned by the ASPHER new interactive website launch to be followed by the afternoon website functionality hackathon.

Session Leads: Henrique Barros, ASPHER President & Robert Otok, ASPHER Director

Rok Hržič, Maastricht University & ASPHER Fellowship Programme Lead
Ines Siepmann, ASPHER Executive Board - Next Generation Representative

Website Launch & Invitation to Hackathon session
Emer Keane, ASPHER/University College Cork

14:30 - 15:00 CLOSING KEYNOTE

Keynote 5: Can we prevent the collapse of scientific publishing?
Nino Künzli, Swiss School of Public Health+ (SSPH+) Former Dean & SSPH+ Directorate representative of the independent not-for-profit SSPH+ Journals

15:00 Invitation to DD Milan 2026 & Closing by Chair

Fabrizio Pregliasco, University of Milan & Flavia Pennisi, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University Milan and APHEA Board of Accreditation - Next Generation Representative

Parallel Satellite Sessions (3 options)

15:45 - 17:45 Public Health and Equity: Strengthening Collaborative Networks
Location: Charité Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK), Forum 3, Seminarraum 520

Equitable access to healthcare and improved health outcomes remain out of reach for many populations. This session brings together empirical and methodological research to examine health inequalities and develop strategies to protect vulnerable groups. Taken together, the contributions underscore the added value of cross-disciplinary and cross-border collaboration in advancing health equity.

Organiser: Prof Dr Oliver Razum
Moderators: Prof Dr Hajo Zeeb, Prof. Oliver Razum

In Search of the Grail: Achieving Equity in Sexual and Reproductive Health
Prof Dr Céline Miani

Psychosocial Well-being of Unwanted Migrants and Refugees in Europe: Insights from Nigerian Returnees
Prof Dr Chukwuedozie Ajaero

Rethinking Public Health Across the Digital Divide
Prof Dr Yudit Namer

The Other Others: Intersectional Aspects in Health Care Access for Patients with Trauma-Related Psychiatric Diagnosis
Alex Stern

Complex System Assessment: A Methodological Research Agenda to Unveil the Pathways from Social Determinants to Health Inequalities
Prof Dr Odile Sauzet

Navigating a Multi-Crisis Reality: Protecting Vulnerable Populations in Times of Conflict and War
Dr Stav Shapira

War and Peace in Public Health Education and Training
Dr Lisa Wandschneider

15:45 - 17:45+ HACKATHON
Location: Charité Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK), Forum 3, Seminarraum 523

Building on concepts and ideas raised over the course of the Retreat, the purpose of the Hackathon will be to brainstorm on desired advanced functionalities for the new ASPHER website to enhance its interactivity, serve the needs of the academic public health community, tighten collaboration with partners in policy & practice, and engage with students, graduates and early career professionals.

16:30 - 18:00 Visit to the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence
Location: Prinzessinnenstrasse 17-18, 10969 Berlin, Germany

You are warmly invited to join a tour of the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. We will provide a tour of WHO's premises here in Berlin, an overview of the global pandemic and epidemic intelligence landscape, and a description of the WHO Hub's role within that. We will also present our flagship initiatives, including our new vision of public health surveillance, our role in prioritizing and connecting research to practice, and our innovative applications of data science and AI to public health intelligence. The visit will include a Q&A with key WHO Hub staff and partners to encourage interaction and open discussion.

More info: https://pandemichub.who.int/

Saturday June 28: Morning Social Programme

10:00 Charité Campus Mitte (CCM), Medizinhistorisches Museum, Virchowweg 17

11:00 Meet in front of Medizinhistorisches Museum for city walk