The National School of Public Health at NOVA University Lisbon (NOVA NSPH) took part in the World Health Organization (WHO) global conference Shaping AI in Health, dedicated to the future of artificial intelligence in health.
NOVA NSPH was represented by Paulo Sousa and Alexandre Lourenço, members of the School’s academic staff and coordinators of the two WHO Collaborating Centres hosted by NOVA NSPH, specialising in quality and patient safety and health management.
Co-organised by WHO/Europe and the Government of Portugal, the conference took place in Lisbon on 15 and 16 July, bringing together representatives from 37 countries, including governments, international organisations, academia, civil society and industry. The event aimed to discuss how to move from political commitment to the practical, responsible, safe, equitable and effective implementation of artificial intelligence in health.
As part of the meeting, Paulo Sousa and Alexandre Lourenço also took part in a restricted panel with ministerial representatives from the CPLP countries, Portugal’s Minister of Health, the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Henri P. Kluge, and the WHO Collaborating Centres in Portugal.
This participation strengthened NOVA NSPH’s contribution to the international discussion on the role of artificial intelligence in transforming health systems, particularly in the areas of governance, quality, safety, management, workforce capacity-building, and the ethical and responsible use of data and digital technologies.
According to Paulo Sousa, NOVA NSPH’s participation in this meeting “reinforces the School’s international recognition, as well as that of its WHO Collaborating Centres, as hubs for knowledge production, technical cooperation and support for improving health systems.” He added: “Artificial intelligence has the potential to bring highly significant opportunities to health, but its implementation must be guided by the principles of safety, equity, transparency and value creation for health professionals, citizens and health systems.”
Alexandre Lourenço highlighted the importance of discussing these issues in an international context and, in particular, within the CPLP. “Artificial intelligence in health is not merely a technological issue. It is also a matter of governance, service organisation, workforce capacity-building and priority-setting. Sharing experiences between countries and institutions is essential to ensure that these solutions address real needs and contribute to more accessible, efficient and resilient health systems,” he said.
NOVA NSPH’s participation in this conference reflects its role as a leading institution in education, research, international cooperation and decision support in Public Health, health policy and health systems. Through its WHO Collaborating Centres, the School strengthens the link between academic knowledge, technical cooperation and responses to the major challenges facing contemporary health systems.
According to WHO, the discussions held in Lisbon will contribute to the next steps in the development and implementation of responsible, safe, equitable and effective artificial intelligence solutions for health, at a time when health systems are facing growing challenges related to digital transformation, sustainability, the organisation of healthcare services and meeting the needs of populations.
