News and events

PHIRI showcased in a special edition of the European Journal of Public Health

Barthelemy.MoreaudeLizoreux@sciensano.be — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 13:48:40 +0000

PHIRI showcased in a special edition of the European Journal of Public Health Barthelemy.Mor… Fri, 07/05/2024 - 15:48

We are thrilled to announce that PHIRI has been featured in a special supplement of the European Journal of Public Health, highlighting our significant contributions to public health research. This supplement, titled "Population Health Information Research Infrastructure – From Data to Public Health Actions," includes a variety of studies and reviews showcasing PHIRI’s work in improving health data utilization and public health actions across Europe.

Explore the full supplement here: European Journal of Public Health - PHIRI supplement

Discover the different papers below:

Supplement editorial: Population health information research infrastructure—from data to public health actions. Nienke Schutte et al.
Identification of methodological issues regarding direct impact indicators of COVID-19: a rapid scoping review on morbidity, severity and mortality. César Garriga et al.
The role of digital tools and emerging devices in COVID-19 contact tracing during the first 18 months of the pandemic: a systematic review. Brigid Unim et al.
European Health Information Portal: a one-stop shop for health information. Hanna Tolonen et al.
European Health Information Training Programme: a sustainable strategy for strengthening capacity in health information. Mariana Peyroteo et al.
PHIRI: lessons for an extensive reuse of sensitive data in federated health research. Juan González-García et al.
Delayed treatment in breast cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population health information research infrastructure (PHIRI) case study, Francisco Estupiñán-Romero et al.
Socioeconomic disparities in changes to preterm birth and stillbirth rates during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a study of 21 European countries. Jennifer Zeitlin et al.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed existing patterns of non-COVID-19 health care utilization? A retrospective analysis of six regions in Europe. Sarah J Aldridge et al.
COVID-19 health information system assessments in eight European countries: identified gaps, best practices and recommendations. Miriam Saso et al.
How to help countries improve resilience during a pandemic: an example of a Rapid Exchange Forum. Claudia Habl et al.
Foresight in public health: a tutorial on application and insights on challenges from the PHIRI foresight exercise. Elizabeth N Mutubuki et al.

Spring School on Health Information 2024

admin-phiri — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 07:17:13 +0000

Spring School on Health Information 2024 admin-phiri Tue, 04/16/2024 - 09:17

We are glad to have another edition of the PHIRI Spring School on Health Information this year!

Join our upcoming course, "Strengthening Resilience and Preparedness for Future Crises in Europe," presented in collaboration with the PHIRI Network and co-organised by the Nova University of Lisbon, Gesundheit Österreich, and Sciensano. This online experience explores innovative topics such as health data collection, Health data analysis, policy and impact measures transfer, data protection (GDPR), and ethical considerations for health information.

With a unique pedagogical approach involving dynamic 50-60 minute lectures, discussions, and weekly group exercises, participants will be inspired to explore the future of health information in Europe. This course is designed to help you shape the future of healthcare.

Register here, and join us on this inspirational journey of discovery and transformation towards strengthening resilience and preparedness for future crises in Europe!

Find the complete programme of the course here!

Our December newsletter is here!

admin-phiri — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 15:31:38 +0000

Our December newsletter is here! admin-phiri Mon, 01/22/2024 - 16:31

The 23rd issue of the PHIRI newsletter is out! Dive into PHIRI's latest updates, outcomes, and many other interesting content. Check it out here! Subscribe to our newsletter here! Find all the previous newsletters here!

PHIRI at the European Public Health Conference 2023

admin-phiri — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 15:29:27 +0000

PHIRI at the European Public Health Conference 2023 admin-phiri Mon, 01/22/2024 - 16:29

PHIRI will be co-organising or participating in many interesting sessions at the 2023 edition of the European Public Health Conference in Dublin. Discover them below! This will be the occasion to present many outcomes from our work. The presentations from the PHIRI sessions are now available!

WEDNESDAY 08th NOVEMBER

09:00 - 12:30 | Preconference: A guideline to the European Health Data Space language based on health literacy principles.
- Learn more.
- Presentations

13:30 - 17:00 | Preconference: Better public health: a data centered approach to interoperability, with international information standards.
- Learn more.
- Presentation from PHIRI: Benefits of common standards for the secondary use of health data. By Nienke Schutte and Miriam Saso.

13:30 - 17:00 | Preconference: Reuse of sensitive individual data – Methods and tools for a federated approach.
- Learn more.
- Presentations (not complete)

THURSDAY 09th NOVEMBER

09:00 - 10:00 | 1.D. Workshop: Long COVID: A Myth or a reality? - Insights from the PHIRI Network: How different Countries deal with Long-COVID related issues and developments.
- Read the abstract.

09:00 - 10:00 | 1.G. Round table: European Health Data Space: Development of a European metadata catalogue.
- Read the abstract.
- Presentation from PHIRI: The Health Information Portal: a one-stop shop for health information. By Miriam Saso.

09:00 - 10:00 | 1.O. Workshop: Caesarean section in Europe: Are women and babies receiving evidence-based obstetric care?
- Read the abstract.
- Presentation from PHIRI: Trends in caesarean section rates in Europe from 2015-2019 using Robson’s Ten-Group Classification System: A Euro-Peristatregistry study. By Marianne Philibert (INSERM)

09:00 - 10:00 | 2.O. Workshop: Mother and child health - Preterm birth and stillbirth rates during COVID-19 pandemic: differences by socioeconomic status.
- Read the abstract.
- Presentation from PHIRI: Socioeconomic disparities in changes to preterm birth and stillbirth rates during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a study of 21 European countries. By Jennifer Zeitlin (INSERM)

10:30 - 11:30 | 2.G. Round table: Member States’ Health Information Systems: State-of-play and best practices.
- Read the abstract.
- Presentations.

16:40 - 17:40 | 4.F. Workshop: Supporting present policy making to address future challenges: foresight and public health policies.
- Read the abstract.
- Presentations.

SATURDAY 12th NOVEMBER

09:00 - 10:00 | 9.P. Pitch presentation: Trends in mental health diagnosis and use of resources in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Read the abstract.
- Presentation from PHIRI: Trends in mental health diagnosis and use of resources in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic. By Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez (Instituto de Salud Carlos III)

11:40 – 12:40 | 10.S. Poster walk: Tackling infectious diseases, preparing for the next pandemic
- PHIRI poster: 10.S.14 - Foresight in public health: application and challenges. By Elizabeth Berghuis Mutubuki (RIVM). Read the abstract
- PHIRI poster: 10.S.15 - Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed non-COVID-19 healthcare utilisation patterns across Europe? By Sarah Aldridge (Swansea University). Read the abstract.

POSTERS DISPLAY

08:00 - 19:00 | DH.19 Poster: Cross-country knowledge-sharing tools: The example of the PHIRI Rapid Exchange Forum
- See the poster
08:00 - 19:00 | DB.18 Poster: Indicators used in policy monitoring documents and decision tools assessing the impact of COVID-19.
- Read the abstract.
- See the poster.

Harmonising advances in Long COVID research: Uniting European actors for solutions

admin-phiri — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 15:24:20 +0000

Harmonising advances in Long COVID research: Uniting European actors for solutions admin-phiri Mon, 01/22/2024 - 16:24

PHIRI is organising a special edition of its Rapid Exchange Forum on the theme: "Harmonizing advances in Long COVID research: Uniting European actors for solutions", on October 9, 2023, remotely from 9:00 to 10:00 CET.

We are welcoming speakers who are key experts, Long COVID researchers and advocates who will present their main activities along with updates from their expert groups/organizations. We are hoping this will bring attention to some of the organizational perspectives on what actors are involved with researching the condition and supporting patients.

Programme:

9:00	Welcome by Nienke Schutte (project coordinator PHIRI)
9:05	Short Pitches Stefan Schreck (European Commission) Richard Pentz (Austrian National Public Health Institute GÖG) Sarah Moreels (Sciensano) Chantal Britt (Long COVID Europe) Graziano Onder (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore) Olivier Robineau (University of Lille)
9:45	Questions and Discussions
10:00	End Special Edition REF / Start Biweekly REF

Minutes

For the minutes of the event, click here.

For the previous editions of the Rapid Exchange Forum - Special Edition click here.

Start and end date

Mon, 10/09/2023 - 09:00 - Mon, 10/09/2023 - 10:30

PHIRI 3 Years Anniversary: From Data to Public Health Actions!

admin-phiri — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 15:21:59 +0000

PHIRI 3 Years Anniversary: From Data to Public Health Actions! admin-phiri Mon, 01/22/2024 - 16:21

We are pleased to invite you to the PHIRI 3 Years Anniversary Conference, taking place on Friday 22nd of September between 9.00 - 12.45 CEST in Townhall Europe (Sq. de Meeûs 5, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium).

The recording of the event is now available here!

ABOUT

PHIRI, the Population Health Information Research Infrastructure, is implementing a research infrastructure to facilitate and generate the best available evidence for research on health and well-being of populations as impacted by COVID-19.

As we are celebrating its three years anniversary, PHIRI invites all its consortium partners and national and international stakeholders to this event in Brussels. Find below the detailed programme of the event!

Find here the complete brochure of the event!

REGISTRATION

The PHIRI anniversary conference will be a hybrid event. The deadline to subscribe for the in person event is Thursday 14th of September.

PROGRAMME

09:00 \| Registration and Coffee	The doors of the venue will be open to the public at 9.00. After completing the registration and obtain the names tags, participants will be offered coffee and refreshments.
09:30 \| Opening	Dirk Ramaekers (Belgium's Federal Public Service 'Public Health') will open the meeting. Petronille Bogaert (former principal investigator of PHIRI at Sciensano, since 1/09/23 Policy Officer B2 Health Security DG SANTE European Commission) will moderate throughout the event.
09:45 \| Keynote speaker	Nienke Schutte (Sciensano) will set the scene, introduce PHIRI and the theme of the Conference.
10:00 \| Panel: Powerful tools to boost the reuse of health data	Hanna Tolonen (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare - THL) and Enrique Bernal- Delgado (Health Sciences Institute in Aragon - IACS) will introduce some of the key PHIRI outcomes in relation to tool to boost the reuse of health data such as the Health Information Portal. The short presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with experts from a range of national and international organisation very active in this field: Niklas Blomberg (ELIXIR) Jerome de Barros (European Commission - DG SANTE) Jana Makedonska (European Commission - HaDEA)
10:45 \| Intermezzo: Strengthening the European health workforce	Luís Lapão (Nova University Lisbon - UNL) and Mariana Peyroteo (Nova University Lisbon - UNL) will shortly introduce the work of PHIRI for capacity building and its collaborations in the field. Front-row comments by field experts from Robert Otok (Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region - ASPHER) and Matthias Wismar (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies - OBS)
11:00 \| Coffee break	The conference will break for 30 mins. Refreshments will be offered to all the onsite participants.
11:30 \| Video: PHIRI roadshow	Barthélémy Moreau de Lizoreux (Sciensano) will present the new PHIRI video, showcasing the PHIRI achievements and latest outputs.
11:35 \| Building stronger health systems	Henk Hilderink (RIVM) and Miriam Saso (Sciensano) will introduce some of the key PHIRI outcomes in relation to building stronger health systems. The short presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with experts from a range of national and international organisation very active in the field: Bruno Ciancio (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control - ECDC) Eric Sutherland (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - OECD) Maria Daniel Loureiro (European Commission - DG HERA) Dimitra Panteli (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies - OBS)
12:20 \| Intermezzo: Building collective intelligence: Rapid Exchange Forum	Claudia Habl (Austrian National Public Health Institute - Gesundheit Österreich) will present one of the key activity of PHIRI, the Rapid Exchange Forum and how this tool helped public health institutes across Europe to quickly gather information across Europe essential for policy decision making. Front-row comments by field experts from Jorgen Stassijns (Sciensano) and Neville Calleja (Ministry of Health, Malta)
12:35 \| Wrap-up and closing	Nienke Schutte (Sciensano) together with Andreas Holtel (European Research Executive Agency - REA) will summarize the discussions of the morning and close the event.
12:45 \| Networking lunch	A networking lunch will be offered to all the onsite participants. The guest speakers will remain available until 14.00 to answer all the questions from the attendees.

VENUE

The event will take place at the TownHall Europe (Square de Meeûs 5, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium).

Start and end date

Fri, 09/22/2023 - 09:00 - Fri, 09/22/2023 - 12:30

European Public Health Week 2023 - PHIRI Rapid Exchange Forum open session - COVID-19 impact on mental health

Barthelemy.MoreaudeLizoreux@sciensano.be — Mon, 15 May 2023 16:52:28 +0000

European Public Health Week 2023 - PHIRI Rapid Exchange Forum open session - COVID-19 impact on mental health Barthelemy.Mor… Mon, 05/15/2023 - 18:52

At the occasion of first day of the European Public Health Week 2023, dedicated to the topic "Mental health for all", PHIRI is glad to organise a public session of its Rapid Exchange Forum. Follow this link to join our webinar!

This weeks PHIRI Rapid Exchange Forum discusses the - yet to come - impact of COVID-19 on mental health of European citizens with inputs from Austria, Hungary and Portugal followed by a moderated country-exchange.

Learn more about the PHIRI Rapid Exchange Forum here.

Learn more about the European Public Health Week here.

As for the other sessions of the PHIRI Rapid Exchange Forum, the answers to questions discussed during the REF meetings are uploaded to the European Health Information Portal here. See here for this specific session.

Date

Mon, 05/22/2023 - 12:00

PHIRI at the World Congress on Public Health Rome 2023 - Presentations are online!

Barthelemy.MoreaudeLizoreux@sciensano.be — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 13:02:44 +0000

PHIRI at the World Congress on Public Health Rome 2023 - Presentations are online! Barthelemy.Mor… Thu, 04/20/2023 - 15:02

PHIRI was happy to participate in the 17th World Congress on Public Health in Rome, with many sessions and a poster! The presentations of our sessions have been uploaded.

Wednesday 3rd May:

08:30 - 09:30 | Room Orange | Workshop:
The Health Information Portal for better health research and policy decisions.
Speakers: Hanna Tolonen, Petronille Bogaert, Miriam Saso, Nienke Schutte
Presentation

Thursday 4th May:

08:30 - 09:30 | Room Orange | Workshop:
Resilient health systems: Mapping of the Health Information Systems in the EU, their resilience and preparedness to join the European Health Data Space.
Speakers: Petronille Bogaert, Neville Calleja, Michael Peolsson, Elena Petelos, Miriam Saso, Shona Cosgrove, Irini Kesisoglou
Presentation

12:30 - 13:30 | Room Auzia | Poster session:
The PHIRI project for measuring the impact of health crises on the European Healthcare System: the Italian case in COVID-19 pandemic.
Author: Andrea Faragalli
Presentation

Friday 5th May:

17:00 - 18:00 | Room Merida | Workshop:
Research use cases measuring the impact of COVID-19 on population health feeding into a federated research infrastructure.
Speakers: Martin Thißen, Juan Gonzalez-Garcia, Francisco Estupiñán-Romero
Presentation

Saturday 6th of May:

10:00 - 11:00 | Baalbeck Volubilis | Workshop:
PHIRI Rapid Exchange Forum (REF): A key tool for cross-country exchange in times of crisis and beyond.
Speakers: Claudia Habl, Hanna Tolonen, Luis Velez Lapão, Petronille Bogaert, Neville Calleja
Presentation

Learn more.

Start and end date

Tue, 05/02/2023 - 08:00 - Sat, 05/06/2023 - 18:00

Fantastic Data and where to find them - PHIRI at the Global Public Health Week 2023

Barthelemy.MoreaudeLizoreux@sciensano.be — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 14:39:30 +0000

Fantastic Data and where to find them - PHIRI at the Global Public Health Week 2023 Barthelemy.Mor… Wed, 03/29/2023 - 16:39

We are glad to present this session dedicated to the European Health Information Portal at the occasion of the Global Public Health Week 2023. Watch the recording here!

For the first time, catalogues of population health information sources from national and international organisations are findable through a single European Health Information Portal. Find data for your health study through this Portal: this workshop will show you how!

Link to the event on the website of the event: https://www.wfpha.org/gphw2023-fantastic-data-and-where-to-find-them/

Date

Mon, 04/03/2023 - 12:00

PHIRI invited to the European Parliament's Special Committee on COVID-19 (COVI)

Barthelemy.MoreaudeLizoreux@sciensano.be — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 09:39:12 +0000

PHIRI invited to the European Parliament's Special Committee on COVID-19 (COVI)

Barthelemy.Mor… Tue, 03/14/2023 - 10:39

On the 8th and 9th March 2023, the European Parliament's special committee on the COVID-19 pandemic (COVI) organised two workshops to discuss the state of play of EU’s crisis preparedness and response, and developments related to “long COVID”. We had the honour to be invited to present PHIRI and our lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our coordinator and principal investigator Pétronille Bogart (Sciensano, Belgium) gave a presentation titled: "PHIRI: harnessing health information to improve pandemic preparedness." She presented PHIRI, and especially the COVID-19 Health information systems assessments that we are performing, investigating the current state of play of the EU’s crisis preparedness and response system, including at national and international level. She outlined how, through these "country visits", best practices and gaps in COVID-19 health information systems. She also formulated recommendations on how to strengthen the resilience and preparedness of health information systems. Petronille Bogaert also presented other aspects of PHIRI contributing to EU crisis preparedness and response: our Rapid Exchange Forum and the European Health Information Portal.

"We need to systematically strengthen health information systems in Europe by improving: networking and collaboration, definitions and standards, legal framework to re-use of health data, training and capacity building." Stressed Pétronille Bogaert to the COVI committee of the European Parliament.

The other invited experts to this session were:

Andrea Ammon, Director, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
Marion Koopmans, Head of the Viroscience Department, Erasmus MC
Stella Ladi, Reader in Public Management, Queen Mary University of London
Claude Blumann, Professor of Public Law, University Paris-Panthéon-Assas

Find more information about the session here. The recording is also available here, and the official report here.

On the 9th March, COVI members also met with experts to discuss key facts and developments related to “long COVID”, and identify regulatory and policy aspects that need to be addressed in order to minimise the impact of long COVID on European citizens and society.

During this second workshop, prof. Peter Piot, (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, EU Commission’s advisory panel on COVID-19) mentioned PHIRI, highlighting the answers gathered during a PHIRI Rapid Exchange Forum session on Long Covid registries (all the questions discussed during the Rapid Exchange Forum sessions are publicly available on the Health information portal here).

"In Europe, we are not well equipped for multi-countries studies." Prof. Peter Piot, stressing the need for collaborative research across Europe.

Find more information about the session here, and the recording here, and the official report here.

News and events

PHIRI showcased in a special edition of the European Journal of Public Health

Spring School on Health Information 2024

Our December newsletter is here!

PHIRI at the European Public Health Conference 2023

WEDNESDAY 08th NOVEMBER

THURSDAY 09th NOVEMBER

SATURDAY 12th NOVEMBER

POSTERS DISPLAY

Harmonising advances in Long COVID research: Uniting European actors for solutions

Programme:

Minutes

PHIRI 3 Years Anniversary: From Data to Public Health Actions!

ABOUT

REGISTRATION

PROGRAMME

09:00 | Registration and Coffee

09:30 | Opening

09:45 | Keynote speaker

10:00 | Panel: Powerful tools to boost the reuse of health data

10:45 | Intermezzo: Strengthening the European health workforce

11:00 | Coffee break

11:30 | Video: PHIRI roadshow

11:35 | Building stronger health systems

12:20 | Intermezzo: Building collective intelligence: Rapid Exchange Forum

12:35 | Wrap-up and closing

12:45 | Networking lunch

VENUE

European Public Health Week 2023 - PHIRI Rapid Exchange Forum open session - COVID-19 impact on mental health

PHIRI at the World Congress on Public Health Rome 2023 - Presentations are online!

Wednesday 3rd May:

Thursday 4th May:

Friday 5th May:

Saturday 6th of May:

Fantastic Data and where to find them - PHIRI at the Global Public Health Week 2023

PHIRI invited to the European Parliament's Special Committee on COVID-19 (COVI)