Other Health Crises Forum

Please note that the Health Crises Forum is held in Swedish!

Registration is now open!

Click here to sign up to attend the Health Crises Forum 2024. There are a limited number of seats. 

In recent years, we have experienced a series of crises, both locally and globally, that have had a major impact on our health. This includes extreme weather events, armed conflicts, and not least the COVID-19 pandemic. Health crises are disruptions that risk causing serious negative impacts on both individuals and entire societies. Having good preparedness and capabilities to manage health crises is of the utmost importance for Sweden. Universities have expertise and capabilities in this that can be of great benefit.

The Health Crises Forum 2024 brings together people from universities, the Government Offices, public sector agencies, county councils, civil society, professional associations and more to discuss what universities s can contribute with in a health crisis and how they can best interact with the rest of society and act as part of Total Defence (Totalförsvaret).

It will be an afternoon of presentations, panel discussions and workshops to together explore what universities do and how they can support the surrounding society, when a health crisis or war occurs. We will also display information posters about education related to health crises. We hope to make the forum a starting point for increased engagement around the role of universities in health crises and as part of Total Defence (Totalförsvaret). 

Programme

27 November 2024 

13:00-17:30: Health Crises Forum

17:30-18:30: Mingle

18:30: Dinner

• 12:30 - Registration of attendance opens
• 13:00 - Opening speech by Karolinska Institutet's President Annika Östman Wernersson
• Speakers:
  • Johan von Schreeb, director, Centre for Health Crises
  • Taha Alexandersson, Head of Preparedness, National Board of Health and Welfare
  • Johan von Knorring, Regional Executive Director, Region Uppsala
  • Jonathan Suk, Principal Expert in Emergency Preparedness, the European Centre of Disease Control (ECDC)
  • TBC: Richard Stridh, Head of Research, The Swedish Armed Forces

• 14:15 - Panel discussion: The Universities' Role and Needs in Future Health Crises 

  Panelist: 

  • Maria Nilsson - State Secretary, the Ministry of Education 
  • Miriam Söderström - State Secretary, the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs
  • Johan von Knorring - Regional Executive Director, Region Uppsala
  • Taha Alexandersson - Head of Preparedness, National Board of Health and Welfare
  • Carl-Oscar Jonsson - Head of Research, Centre for Disaster Medicine at Linköping University 

  Moderator: Maja Fjaestad, former State Secretary, expert coordinator in policy and preparedness at the Centre for Health Crises

• 15:00 - Break

• 15:25 - Workshops 

  In a number of workshops, we will discuss the question of what role universities have in health emergencies and as part of our Total Defence. We will raise questions such as: what training and skills provision are needed, and what expert advice, analysis and evaluation can universities contribute with? But also, how can we improve collaboration between universities and the rest of society?

  To make the workshops topical and engaging, they will be based on fictional scenarios in a number of health crises topics.

  When registering, please indicate which workshop you would like to attend. You can choose one first and one second choice. We will try to accommodate all requests, but there may be a need to move participants to ensure a good group composition. Please note that all workshops are in Swedish. 

  • Extreme heat and its effects on health

    Workshop leader: Petter Ljungman, expert coordinator, extreme weather, climate and health, the Centre for Health Crises, and Christofer Åström, Research fellow at Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University

    About the workshop: A heatwave has swept across the country, with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees in many places. According to the weather forecast, it looks like the extreme heat will continue, and there is growing concern about how vulnerable groups will cope. What are the knowledge and training needed for different actors in society to better manage the health impacts of extreme heat? And how can universities contribute both to strengthening resilience to future extreme weather events and to capitalising on lessons learned from other countries?

  • Sweden's role in international health crises

    Workshop leader: Johan von Schreeb, Director, the Centre for Health Crises, and Per Becker, Professor of Risk and Sustainability, Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety, Lund University

    About the workshop: In a globalised world, Sweden must not only manage health crises that affect the country, but also contribute internationally.  In this workshop, we will discuss current situations and experiences, as well as highlighting new initiatives such as the WHO's international Emergency Medical Teams system that sets standards and coordinates international efforts. How can universities contribute? Can secondments of experts to health emergencies be facilitated and what does it take to do that? And how can universities, public sector agencies, county councils and other stakeholders strengthen collaborations to contribute to improved responses to health crises?

  • Decision-making in health crises

    Workshop leader: Maja Fjaestad, expert coordinator policy and preparedness, the Centre for Health Crises

    About workshop: Decision-making, organisation and management are aspects of health crisis preparedness and management that need to work for the rest to be effective. In this workshop, we will discuss decision-making in health emergencies and look for ways to improve co-operation between universities and other actors in society for future crises. We will cover the need for information and evidence at political and administrative levels, and how best to establish a constructive dialogue between science and policy.

  • Health Care in peace time health crises or war

    Workshop leader: Märit Halmin, expert coordinator critical care with limited resources, the Centre for Health Crises

    About the workshop: Health care is a key function that must work, and be able to expand, in war and peacetime health crises. In this workshop, we explore how higher education institutions can contribute to health care in health crises, both before, but also during an ongoing crisis, as well as in evaluation and learning for future crises. In addition, we discuss the need for increased collaboration between universities, public sector agencies, county councils in order to strengthen healthcare in crisis. 

  • A new pandemic

    Workshop leader: Hedvig Glans, expert coordinator outbreak preparedness and response, & Helena Hervius Askling expert coordinator infectious diseases and vaccine preparedness, the Centre for Health Crises, and Mårten Jansson, Head of Administration, Sophiahemmet University

    About the workshop: The year is 2035 and a new virus has started to spread. Many aspects of the virus, its contagiousness and the progress of the disease is not fully understood. There is talk of a new pandemic. Fifteen years after COVID-19, are we better prepared? What have we learnt and implemented from previous pandemics? Can we make better use of universities in areas such as ‘real-time research’ to improve pandemic management, training of health professionals and other critical competences, and access to critical infrastructure? Can we find better ways of cooperation between our different actors?

• 17:20 - Summary and concluding remarks, Johan von Schreeb, Director, the Centre for Health Crises
• 17:30 - Mingle
• 18:30 - Dinner

Posters

If you represent an organisation with educational activities and would like to display posters with information about your courses in the field of health crises, please email healthcrises@ki.se for more information.

Find the venue

The Eva & Georg Klein Hall, Floor 3 (ground floor) of Biomedicum, Karolinska Institutet Campus Solna, Stockholm.

Nearest bus stop: Karolinska Institutet Biomedicum (bus lines 3, 6, 77, 507, 598, 697)

Nearest metro station: St Eriksplan (about 15 minutes walk)