November 2020
The University of Nicosia Medical School Department of Primary Care and Population Health (DPCPH) has been an Institutional member of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) for the past 3 years and participates in a number of activities that promote public health locally and internationally. One of these activities is the annual conference which every 2-3 years is co-organised with the World Federation of Public Health Associations and takes the form of a World Congress. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Congress took place virtually during 12-16 October under the theme “Public health for the future of humanity: analysis, advocacy and action.”
The Congress started with some pre-conference workshops and the annual meeting of the governing board which was attended by the Head of DPCPH, Dr Ourania Kolokotroni. Throughout the Congress, the team had the opportunity to take part in a number of interesting plenary sessions led by renown public health experts on public health leadership, health systems fit for the future, and ways to make a difference in public health by doing research and providing evidence that can affect health policy. There were numerous parallel oral presentations, poster sessions, and workshops across a number of themes such as infectious diseases and the COVID-19 pandemic, non-communicable diseases, health promotion, health systems, digital health, environmental health, public health advocacy and policy, public mental health, vulnerable groups and others.
The School Department faculty participated in disseminating the Department’s research work in the following sessions:
- Shaping Baby Buddy Cyprus: eHealth literacy for the transition to parenthood
Oral Presentation – Dr Kolokotroni on behalf of the Baby Buddy team
- Geographical inequalities in breast cancer incidence, mortality and late stage at diagnosis in Cyprus
Oral Presentation – Dr Demetriou on behalf of the UNIC Medical School Epi team
- The exposome and meet-in-the-middle as tools in addressing open questions in air pollution research
Poster Presentation – Dr Demetriou
- Social inequality in obesity in an Eastern Mediterranean population: a national health survey
Oral presentation – Dr Quattrocchi of behalf of the UNIC Medical School Epi team
- The effects of lockdown on lifestyle habits of adults during the coronavirus pandemic in Cyprus
Oral presentation – Dr Elena Philippou of behalf of the UNIC Medical School Epi team and the UNIC Department of Health and Life Sciences
Dr Quattrocchi also participated as a panellist in a World Leadership Dialogue on “Global fight against antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections: major challenges to develop a public health road map.”
The team also organised a local social event at an Italian restaurant in Nicosia for all Cypriot Congress delegates who missed out on the opportunity to meet in Rome as originally planned. Below some pictures from the Congress.
