Asset Publisher

Newsroom News
Policy & Global Development

A PR3 Challenge: Preparedness and Response in the Era of Systemic Environment and Health Crises

An ISGlobal Workshop

05.05.2022
Date
05/05/2022 - 06/05/2022
Hour
11.00 - 17.30 h CET (Barcelona) / 12:00 - 14:00 h CET (Madrid)
Place
CaixaForum Macaya (Barcelona), Fundación Ramón Areces (Madrid) and also online
Speaker
Several speakers

SEE THE PROGRAMME

 

The global crisis posed by the COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts in all areas of our lives, ranging from the direct effect of the SARS-CoV-2 infection on COVID morbidity and mortality to indirect effects of the pandemic on the health and well-being of populations across the globe, the health system, economy, societies, and education. 

History has shown us that our health and well-being can also be affected by a variety of other hazards, including natural disasters, chemical, radiological and physical hazards, and biological hazards (epidemics and pandemics, emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and bioterrorism). The key lesson from COVID-19, and this is a lesson we learned previously from nuclear accidents is the need to be much better prepared. COVID-19 has exposed the fragmentation of the global governance for health emergency preparedness and response and the key role that science, research and innovation can play in having a world better ready for future health crises as also identified by European Global Health Institutes Network (EGHRIN). 

As a consolidated hub of excellence in research with a mission to translate science into policies and practices, the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a member of EGHRIN, wants to reach out to other actors in order to contribute to and advance this fundamental debate. For that purpose, we are establishing an institutional hub/centre on preparedness, bringing together our existing expertise and capacities and our existing networks of collaborators. We have coined the term PR3 as the guiding concept that combines the different phases of preparing for and responding to crises: Preparedness, Response, Recovery and Resilience. 

It is only through such a comprehensive approach –both in terms of disciplines and capacities– that we will be able to tackle the systemic environmental risks to health in the coming future. Experience from COVID-19 and nuclear accidents show many commonalities related to preparedness, response, recovery and resilience, and in fact many of the lessons from the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents and recommendations based on these can be translated directly to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The PR3 model below takes into account the wide variety of hazards that could lead to a public health crisis. It includes several steps in the continuous spectrum of preparedness, response and recovery/resilience phases, based on the successes and challenges observed during COVID-19 health crisis.

Meeting structure

The objective of the proposed workshop is to draw lessons related to PR3 from different complementary environmental and public health crises and discuss how best to incorporate them into future all-hazards preparedness plans at the global, regional, country and local levels. Drawing from the lessons learned in the hectic debate of the last two years, we want to bring together experts, practitioners and decisionmakers in a complex conversation that reflects the nature of the challenges ahead. Participation of early career researchers is encouraged.

With this in mind, the workshop is organised in three parts, the third of which will be open to the public:

Barcelona venue (May 5)

  • A thematic session, covering PR3 strategies related to different types of health crises: infectious diseases, chemical, radiological and natural disasters, including those arising from climate change. With a strong focus on science, the objective is to identify commonalities and differences in order to outline a common approach and to create a network of experts in Europe and elsewhere to prepare and respond to different public health crises.
  • An institutional session, looking at existing and emerging responses at the local, national, European and global levels. The objective of this session is to review ongoing initiatives and activities related to PR3 in their different forms. This should help institutions identify new areas for collaboration and for engagement of the scientific community in order to strengthen PR3 capabilities.

Madrid venue (May 6)

  • High-level panel: this session will take place in Madrid the day after the technical workshop in Barcelona. We will open the conversation to the public through a dynamic (Davos’ style) round table with those in charge of taking these decisions forward. Based on short summaries from the two workshops and engaging a wide range of stakeholders at different levels (politicians, philanthropists, public officials, communicators), we will discuss how best to collaborate in the implementation of a meaningful preparedness and response framework.

Outcomes

The findings of the discussions during the workshop will be used to develop recommendations and actions for strengthening preparedness and response at different levels and incorporating best-evidence strategies. These will be summarised in a paper submitted to a scientific journal with wide readership.

Information

  • Language: The sessions in Madrid will take place in both English and Spanish. The sessions in Barcelona will only take place in English.
  • Free admission. Previous online registration necessary. Limited capacity in Barcelona.
  • Participation of early career researchers is encouraged
  • The event will be recorded for those people who may not be able to attend and for documentation purposes. By default, your microphone and camera will be muted when you join the Barcelona sessions by Zoom meeting (previous online registration necessary). If you do not want to be included in the recording, simply keep your camera and microphone off —you may ask questions in the chat window.
  • Streaming (for the Madrid session on May 6): www.fundacionareces.tv/directo

 

Programme

Barcelona venue. CaixaForum Macaya (pg. de Sant Joan, 108) & online / May 5, 2022

11.00 - 11.30 h Institutional welcome: Antoni Plasència, ISGlobal & Ignasi Lopez, "la Caixa" Foundation
Introduction to the workshop: Elisabeth Cardis and Gonzalo Fanjul, ISGlobal  
11.30 - 14.00 h

WORKSHOP 1 – THEMATIC SESSION

Review of scientific PR3 strategies for different types of crises

Moderator: Elisabeth Cardis

 

INFECTIOUS DISEASES / BIOLOGICAL DISASTERS
—Anja Schreijer, Erasmus MC and Pandemic and Disease Preparedness Center, The Netherlands

CHEMICAL/OCCUPATIONAL DISASTERS
—Roberto Lucchini, Florida International University, School of Public Health, USA, and University of Brescia, Italy

RADIOLOGICAL DISASTERS
—Thierry Schneider, Centre d’étude sur l’Évaluation de la Protection dans le domaine Nucléaire, France

NATURAL DISASTERS / VOLCANO ERUPTIONS
—Claire Horwell, Durham University, International Volcanic Health Hazard Network, UK

CLIMATE CHANGE
—Jaroslav Mysiak, Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italy

WAR AND REFUGEES
—Oliver Razum, Bielefeld University, Germany

Discussion: Summary of commonalities and differences –
towards a common approach to PR3.
14.00 - 15.00 h  Lunch break
15.00 - 17.45 h

WORKSHOP 2 – INSTITUTIONAL SESSION

Moderator: Gonzalo Fanjul

 

GLOBAL
—WHO/ UN - Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Jonathan Abrahams, Technical Officer Disaster Risk Management and Resilience Unit, Geneva, Switzerland
—The Global Fund. David Lowrance, Senior advisor COVID-19 and PPR, Geneva, Switzerland
—MSF. Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, Spain
—Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). Nathalie Strub-Wourgaft, COVID Response and Pandemic Preparedness Director, Switzerland

EUROPE
—European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), Wolfgang Philipp, Belgium
—European Global Health Research Institutes Network (EGHRIN) and Institute for the Future - KU Leuven. Anne-Mieke vanDamme, Belgium
—European Foundation on Preparedness. Martin Andler, Member, France
—WHO Europe, Program for Environmental and Health Impacts. Sinaia Netanyahu, Programme Manager Environment and Health Impact Assessment, Germany

AMERICA
—Pan-American Health Organization. Ciro Ugarte, Director for Emergency Preparedness and Disasters, USA

AFRICA
—Africa CDC Emergency Operations Center. Wessam Mankoula, Lead of Emergency Operations Centre, Ethiopia

NATIONAL
Spain
Public Health Agency of Catalonia. Mercè Herrero, Public Health Officer
Public Health Agency of Barcelona. Carme Borrell, Manager

USA

—National Institutes of Health, Disaster Research Response Program. Aubrey K. Miller, Senior Advisor
Luxembourg
—Laboratoire National de la Santé. Ann Van Nieuwenhuyse, Head of Department Health Protection
17.45 - 18.15 h Tea break
18.15 - 19.30 h

FINAL SESSION  – Brainstorming

Objectives:

Identification of actions/activities across the different hazards:
– common protocols and approaches;
– improvement of epidemiological information systems;
– governance;
– provision of capacity through networks of experts who can advise on different health hazards;
– foster a constructive public and political conversation.
19.30 - 21.00 h Evening reception for all participants

 

Madrid venue. Fundación Ramón Areces (c/ Vitruvio, 5) & online / May 6, 2022

12.00 - 14.00 h

Institutional welcome by Fundación Ramón Areces

SHORT PRESENTATION OF ISGLOBAL PR3 MODEL AND SUMMARY OF FIRST TWO SESSIONS
—ISGlobal, Elisabeth Cardis, Head of the Radiation Program, Spain

DIALOGUE WITH DECISION-MAKERS
—Spanish Government. Raquel Yotti, General Secretary for Research, Ministry of Science and Innovation
—Spanish Government. Juan Fernando Muñoz Montalvo, General Secretary for Digital Health, Information and Innovation of the National Health System. Ministry of Health 
—European Commission. Isabel de la Mata, Principal Adviser for Health and Crisis Management
—The Global Fund. Françoise Vanni, Director of External Relations and Communications
—The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Anja Langenbucher, Director for Europe
—Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi). Bernard Pecoul, Executive Director
—Africa Centres for Disease Control. Wessam Mankoula, lead of the Emergency Operations Center
—World Health Organization Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. Oliver Morgan, Director for Global Health, Surveillance and Risk Assessment of Health Emergencies
—ISGlobal. Antoni Plasència, Director General, Spain

MODERATED BY:
Gonzalo Fanjul, Policy Director, ISGlobal, Spain

Participation from the audience.

*Speakers from Barcelona sessions will be able to participate in Madrid session

 

Register to attend the event in Barcelona and Madrid or watch it on streaming

 

With the collaboration of:

   

 

An the support of: