The Annual Meeting of Deans and Directors of Schools/Faculties of Public Health, members of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) was held from 25 to 28 June in Berlin (Germany). The Faculty of Public Health at Medical University – Varna was represented by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Natalia Usheva – Vice-Dean for Research.
The key topics of the papers and discussions focused current for Public Health areas such as emergencies and health security for the population, climate change, vaccination, migration issues, solidarity and Public Health, equality in access to health care and improving health outcomes. The discussions concerning health inequality issues were grounded on empirical and methodological research to explore and develop strategies to protect vulnerable groups.
The session, organised in partnership with the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) and the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), reviewed the progress of the implementation of the Roadmap to Professionalising the Public Health Workforce in the European Region, particularly in the face of critical shortages of health professionals in specific specialities.
In partnership with the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, a session was organised on the trends in health reforms at European level and the involvement of ASPHER members from the Health System and Policy Monitor (HSPM) network, such as our country is through FPH Varna. The three major areas of health reforms in Europe were highlighted: management, health insurance and accumulation of resources, as well as coordination of integrated care.
Special attention was paid to the problem of commercialisation and devaluation of the quality of scientific journals, the current lack of a standardised indicator for the quality of information published in journals as an alternative to the Impact Factor, which is currently the leading indicator in assessment and decision-making, including for academic advancement, health policy decisions, funding, etc.
The Berlin School of Public Health hosted the meeting, which coincided with the celebration of its 10th anniversary. Prominent scientists from Germany outlined the development of Public Health in Germany and Berlin in the historical context with an emphasis on the role of medics during the Second World War, the political situation in East and West Germany, the education in Public Health and transition to modern trends in United Germany.
