Sónia Dias, Director of the National School of Public Health at NOVA University Lisbon (NOVA NSPH), participated in the European meeting “Participatory Approaches to Improve the Health and Wellbeing of Migrants in Europe”, held at the University of Limerick, Ireland. The event was organised as part of the programme associated with the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and focused on participatory approaches to improving the health and wellbeing of migrant populations across Europe.
The event formed part of the programme associated with the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and brought together national and international experts, policymakers, researchers, healthcare professionals, non-governmental organisations and representatives of migrant communities to discuss the role of participation in research, public policy and the organisation of health responses.
Sónia Dias attended the meeting in her capacity as Director of NOVA NSPH and President of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) Migrant and Ethnic Minority Health Section. She stated: “Promoting the health of populations, including migrant populations, requires responses grounded in scientific evidence, community participation and cross-sector collaboration. This event reinforces the importance of developing policies and practices that promote health equity, contributing to more inclusive, resilient health systems that are better prepared to respond to the diversity of populations.”
The meeting also featured Santino Severoni, Director of the World Health Organization’s Special Initiative for Migration Health, who presented the findings of the latest global report on promoting the health of refugees and migrants. NOVA NSPH’s participation in this international forum reinforces its commitment to Public Health driven by equity, participation and international collaboration.
The initiative was organised by the Refugee and Migrant Health Partnership, a collaboration between the WHO Collaborating Centre for Participatory Health Research with Refugees and Migrants at the University of Limerick and the Department of Health in Dublin. The meeting brought together more than 150 participants from 15 countries.
