Pre-recorded sessions

This year's pre-recorded sessions will be available on the conference platform, Swapcard. These thought-provoking sessions explore different real-world challenges facing public health practitioners and how those can be addressed, including effective implementation of proven preventive measures such as hand hygiene, applying risk assessment during public health emergencies, and harnessing artificial intelligence to improve public health in a trustworthy, ethical, and effective way.

The hand hygiene paradox: why a simple solution remains so hard to implement

Hand hygiene is widely recognised as the simplest, most cost-effective measure to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and limit the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Yet, despite decades of guidance, campaigns and evidence, sustained compliance in healthcare settings remains suboptimal worldwide.

This session explores the ‘hand hygiene paradox’: why a proven, simple intervention continues to fail in routine practice. Drawing on perspectives from infection prevention and control (IPC), behavioural science, implementation research, and frontline healthcare experience, the session examines structural, cultural, behavioural and system-level barriers to hand hygiene adherence.

The session will also mark the launch of a new ECDC-led digital tool for monitoring hand hygiene compliance, hyFive, designed to support more standardised, data-driven and actionable approaches across healthcare settings. The discussion will critically reflect on how digital solutions can support—not replace—behavioural change, leadership engagement and safety culture, and how such tools can be best implemented to achieve sustained improvement.

Moderator

Christian Giske, ECDC senior expert Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections

Speakers

Birgitta Lytsy, Medical specialist Infection Prevention and Control, Public Health Agency of Sweden

Ana Paula Coutinho Rehse, Denmark

Theoklis Zaoutis, Department Chair and Professor, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

Ermira Tartari, Infection Prevention and Control Professional, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health Sciences, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta

Katerina Mougkou, Expert, ECDC, Sweden

Risk assessment in action in public health emergencies

Risk assessments are core public health functions that characterise the risks posed by infectious diseases and other threats, enabling prompt and effective action to protect population health. In complex public health environments—where evidence may be incomplete, threats evolve rapidly, and decisions span jurisdictions and sectors—risk assessment provides a structured and transparent way to integrate diverse evidence, assess uncertainty, compare scenarios, and identify populations that may be disproportionately affected. By translating evolving information into decision-relevant insights, they support proportionate risk management, priority setting, resource allocation, coordinated action, and timely risk communication. They are therefore an integral part of institutional decision-making workflows and iterative by nature.

This session aims to showcase and discuss risk assessment methodologies used by national and international organisations to assess public health threats and identify commonalities in approach and challenges. The session also explores other tools used for risk assessment, e.g. scenario building, as well as the use of tools such as Artificial Intelligence in risk assessments. 

ΕCDC has developed a risk assessment methodology that has been referenced and adapted by countries and other organisations. This year ECDC is publishing an updated methodology incorporating lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic use of the ECDC operational tool for RRAs. 

Building on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU Regulation 2022/2371 on Serious Cross-Border Threats to Health introduces a One Health approach in risk assessments as well, fostering collaboration (within and across sectors) among Member States, European Agencies, and international partners to address serious cross-border public health threats.

Moderator

Maria Van Kerhove, Director, Epidemic and Pandemic Management, WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE)

Speakers

Jorgen Stassijns, Head of Service Crisis Preparedness & Response, Sciensano, Coordinator, Belgian Risk Assessment Group, Belgium

Agoritsa Baka, Principal expert, Emergency Preparedness and Response, ECDC

Valentina Rizzi/Bernard Bottex, EFSA crisis coordinators 

James Gilbert, Head Analyst, National Assessment Team, UKHSA

Rukshanda Ahmad, Director and Medical Advisor, Risk Assessment Hub, Public Health Agency of Canada

Emilie Peron, Epidemiologist – Surveillance Systems unit (SRV), WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE)

Mind the gap: advancing trustworthy AI in public health

AI is reshaping public health, but hidden gaps in data, knowledge and traceability can undermine trust. This session brings together information and knowledge, technical and scientific perspectives to show how governance, provenance and critical oversight can make AI-supported work more reliable and fit for purpose. 

 Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in public health to support evidence retrieval, information management, analysis and decision-making. It can improve efficiency, access to information and analytical capacity. However, AI outputs may be weakened when the underlying information is incomplete, outdated, insufficiently validated, poorly traceable, or does not adequately represent important populations, perspectives or sources. 
 
This session examines these ‘coverage gaps’ in practical terms and explain why prompt engineering alone is not enough. It also includes a brief introduction to agentic AI for knowledge work, illustrating how modern tools can help use AI to streamline knowledge work. Speakers will explore how curated knowledge, well-governed information assets, retrieval and provenance mechanisms, appropriate technical controls, scientific standards, validation and human oversight can strengthen AI-supported workflows. 
 
Bringing together information and knowledge management, technical AI and scientific perspectives, the session offers practical insights for recognising, assessing and reducing risks. Participants will leave with a clearer framework for using AI more effectively, transparently and responsibly in public health. 

Speakers

Anca Moruzov, Group Leader Artificial Intelligence, Data and Information Management, ECDC

Angelo D'Ambrosio, Expert Healthcare-Associated Infections, ECDC

Quim Berenguer Jornet, Chair of the EUAN Working Group on AI Lead of AI Implementation & Digital Strategy Solutions