From the editor
Building Healthier Lives Together
Active and healthy living is not a single choice made at one stage of life, it is a journey that evolves from childhood through older age.
At every point along the life course, the opportunities and challenges people face in maintaining their wellbeing are shaped by the environments, policies and services that surround them. As societies change, it is essential that we reimagine what it means to live well, and ensure that health is not seen as an individual responsibility alone, but as a shared goal.
An inclusive and participatory approach is central to this vision. Too often, health strategies are designed without the voices of those they are meant to support. By listening to diverse communities, including groups that may be marginalised or underrepresented, we can better understand the barriers people face and co-create solutions that truly meet their needs. Empowering people to shape the systems that affect their wellbeing strengthens not only the outcomes, but also the sense of ownership and trust in those systems.
The digital transformation of health and social care offers enormous potential to support healthier living. New technologies can help people monitor their health, access services remotely, and connect with others in ways that were not possible before. However, digital tools must be made accessible, user-friendly and equitable, so that they do not deepen existing divides. Building digital literacy and confidence across the population is essential if we are to harness these innovations for the benefit of all.
At the same time, promoting active and healthy living requires integrated and holistic policies that cut across sectors. Housing, education, employment, transport, culture and the environment all have profound effects on health outcomes. A siloed approach cannot deliver the long-term, sustainable improvements we need. By bringing together stakeholders from different fields, and aligning strategies around shared goals, we can create supportive environments that make the healthy choice the easy choice.
This integration should also extend to the way we support individuals at different stages of life. Children need safe spaces to play and learn healthy habits; working-age adults require opportunities to balance productivity with wellbeing; older people deserve environments that enable independence, dignity and continued engagement. Recognising these interconnected needs and designing policies that bridge the generations will ensure that no one is left behind.
Ultimately, active and healthy living is both a personal and collective effort. By committing to inclusive participation, digital empowerment and integrated policies, we can create societies that enable everyone to flourish. Not only adding years to life, but life to years.
Carina Dantas
CEO and founder, SHINE 2Europe
Co-Director and founder, SHAFE Foundation
EU Foresight Report 2025 describes Resilience 2.0 – will someone listen?
Fascinatingly honest, a new report from EU paints a dire and direct analysis of current democratic, societal challenges in Europe. Solutions are sustainable and inclusive wellbeing, reimagining education and strenghtening democracy.
A resilient EU in 2040 would need to deliver the following three fundamental elements:
Peace…
Democracy….
People’s wellbeing…
Webinar on storytelling in the service of transformation
Three great speakers join our upcoming webinar October 8th, 13-14 CET:
Veron WK Lai – read her blog on storytelling in healthcare
Hailey Hechtman – read her story about becoming a mental health activist
Tobias Gantner – read his latest story about AI for democratising human storytelling
Implementation by inclusivity in Europe at DPH2025, in Madeira
EHFF members Lars Münter, Nina Sønderberg and Carina Dantas participated at DPH2025, winning award for best student abstract for the paper “Implementation by inclusivity in European health system-level digital solutions” and gave the audience a great introduction to the many important ways we have used inclusivity before, now, and in upcoming European projects and initiatives.
Insights from European projects IHI READI, myHealth@myHands and RadioVal, as well as initiatives such as the Nordic Health 2030 Movement and SHAFE Foundation provided a strong discussion about ideas for future projects and methods.
Read more on LinkedIn or SHINE 2Europe website
Sharing resources for digital, environmental and social inclusion
Sharing results of four European projects in areas essential to social cohesion: digital and environmental literacy, support for informal carers, and the promotion of sustainable business models. The DigitalScouts, AFECO and YoungCare projects were funded by the Erasmus+ programme, while NewEcoSmart was supported by the European Social Fund+. Together, they leave behind a legacy of practical tools, accessible online and free to use, which can be applied in community and institutional contexts across the country.
The result is a set of resources that not only respond to the specific needs of older adults, carers and rural communities, but also contribute to a more inclusive, environmentally friendly and digitally prepared society.
Categorising challenges and solutions towards ethical AI
The article “Categorising challenges and solutions towards ethical AI in breast cancer treatment: a rapid umbrella review complemented by participatory methods”, published in AI and Ethics (Springer Nature), presents a structured analysis of the ethical challenges associated with applying artificial intelligence in breast cancer care, combining a rapid umbrella review with participatory methods, including stakeholder sessions and interviews, to provide both academic rigour and practical insights.
The authors categorise the ethical challenges into four interconnected domains: individual, covering issues such as professional training and bias; technical, encompassing problems like skewed datasets and inadequate system design; organisational, highlighting gaps such as lack of audit processes and insufficient team diversity; and societal, addressing broader concerns including inequities and regulatory shortcomings. In response to these challenges, the paper proposes an ethics-by-design model, emphasising the importance of early and inclusive engagement with multiple stakeholders to anticipate risks and mitigate bias.
Read more – or read article
Launch of EU4Health CURTAIN Project: Closing Gaps in Cancer Care through Literacy
The CURTAIN project, acronym of beating Cancer ineqUalities thRough liTerAcy IN Europe, has officially held its kick-off meeting in Câmpulung and Lerești, Romania, on 9-11 September 2025.
Co-funded under the EU4Health programme, CURTAIN is a 3-year project coordinated by the Centre for Innovation in Medicine – INOMED, Romania, and bringing together a consortium of 15 partners from 9 countries (6 EU and 3 non-EU).
The project aligns with Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the Cancer Mission to reduce cancer inequalities between Eastern and Western Europe, urban and rural areas, and vulnerable socio-economic groups.
By focusing on cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and quality of life, CURTAIN will prioritise improving cancer health literacy as a key element in reducing inequalities and enhancing access to quality cancer prevention and care. By adopting the acronym CURTAIN, the project highlights the persistent cancer inequalities between Eastern and Western Europe, which are visible today through the lens of the former Iron Curtain.
Shaping Sustainable Cities – read this report from the COST Association
European cities need to transform into sustainable, resilient, inclusive spaces — integrating clean energy, green tech, circular economy, and smart urban design. Targeted research networks can accelerate this urban evolution through collaborative scientific discovery and practical implementation.
The report features COST Actions that are accelerating this process through interdisciplinary collaboration, including for EHFF members and former Actions: NET4Age-Friendly and the SHAFE Foundation.
The report’s emphasis on inclusive urban design and social equity resonates with the SHAFE mandate: not just “smart cities” in a technical sense, but age-friendly, healthy, equitable, accessible cities. As demographics shift, we need scalable frameworks that connect citizens, researchers, public authorities, businesses/NGOs: exactly the ecosystems SHAFE is building.
Healthy lifestyle environments: it is not only about individual choices
The United Nations held its Fourth High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) on September 25, 2025, to adopt a political declaration aimed at increasing global action and investment in these diseases and mental health conditions.
This declaration, which followed intense negotiations, was intended to renew commitments to the Sustainable Development Goal of reducing NCD-related premature mortality. Key themes included strengthening health systems, promoting whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, and addressing the social and economic drivers of NCDs.
The declaration highlighted a renewed commitment to addressing cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, and mental health conditions. Member States were called to reshape health systems, support sustainable financing, and address inequities in care. The negotiations showed a significant divide, with reports indicating that the final declaration was weaker than the “zero draft”, especially on diluting the proposals for higher taxes on tobacco and alcohol. However, it is still positive the strong focus on tackling the underlying social, economic, commercial and environmental drivers of risk and inequities.
Read more
BEHEALTH: ‘A New Era of Intelligent Quality Assurance’
EHFF joined six other European partners in the ERASMUS+ project BEHEALTH – October 2024-August 2026.
The BEHEALTH project aims at assisting VET (vocational education and training) providers in nursing education, on their progress towards permanence of quality assurance practices. The main objective of BEHEALTH is to improve QA provision and practices of VET education and WBL (work-based learning) in the nursing field through the promotion of self-evaluation and action planning.
Specifically, through three main elements:
- Develop a comprehensive guide to EU Quality Assurance frameworks, specifically for the nursing sector, setting a new benchmark for excellence.
- Create robust Quality Assurance frameworks for organizations offering nursing qualifications and WBL opportunities, ensuring they meet the highest standards of education and practice.
- Assist VET providers and organisations offering WBL to continuously assess and enhance their QA processes.
Nurse training organisations will have their own internal mechanisms for quality assuring their courses, but this project aims to support them by offering additional tools: e.g. innovative 360-degree control tools will be developed to provide multi-stakeholder feedback, enabling organizations to evaluate their QA strategies holistically. The BEHEALTH Intelligent Mentoring Tool (IMT) will constitute a comprehensive “one-stop shop” solution designed to support continuous quality assurance (QA) evaluation and strategic planning for VET and WBL providers in nursing.
By integrating the project’s 360-degree control tools and linking them to the corresponding QA frameworks through detailed reporting, the IMT will guide organizations in identifying key areas for improvement, enhancing their overall QA processes.
Women’s Health – EHFF active in Rome
Our WG on Women’s Health at Women’s Health conference in Rome, October 16-17 with Janet Michel, Lars Münter, and Nina Sønderberg.
Women’s Health 2040 – EHFF active in Copenhagen
New Charter for Women’s Health 2040 launched in Copenhagen September 8th with EHFF Member Nura Jahanpour in the organising team and Lars Münter and Nina Sønderberg participating in the key action group for future health literacy. In total 136+ Nordic Voices, One Shared Vision” Women and men from across the Nordic region have built this new charter based on the previous work of the Nordic Health 2030 Movement.
Upcoming policy events
European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) 2025
September 30 – October 3, 2025 | Bad Hofgastein, Austria
Europe’s leading health policy forum returns with a 2025 focus on system resilience, digital transformation, and cross-sector health integration. Policymakers, academics, and civil society will gather to co-shape inclusive, sustainable European health policies. Lars Münter and Nina Sønderberg will participate and report.
Read more
13th International Multithematic Biomedical Conference
November 6-8, 2025 | Nicosia, Cyprus
With the main conference hosted by the European University Cyprus, EHFF is collaborating with Nordic Wellbeing Academy, Cambridge Medical Academy and IE Open as part of the One Health One Road Alliance to facilitate a series of 7 policy sessions to discuss the future of EU health policy – bridging the current Danish EU Presidency with the upcoming Cypriot EU Presidency. EHFF members Carina Dantas, Eva Turk, Adam Skali, Lars Münter, and Nina Sønderberg (more are welcome!) will be joined by a European and global team of experts.
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18th European Public Health Conference
November 12–14, 2025 | Helsinki, Finland
Hosted by EUPHA, this year’s conference will address sustainable investment in health, advancing equity, and embedding public health into policy frameworks. A vital platform for shaping public health strategies across Europe. Lars Münter will join panel to talk about innovation in health investments and funding streams.
Read more
An EHFF blast in Cyprus – linking EU Presidencies
With 8 policy side sessions created in collaboration with Cambridge Medical Academy, European University Cyprus, IE Open, and Nordic Wellbeing Academy, November 6-8 will be supercluster of European health thinking, bridging the Danish and Cypriot EU Presidency.
As part of the IMBMC 2025 Conference, we will gather a wonderful list of international speakers and EHFF members:
- Takis Kotis, CEO Cambridge Medical Academy
- Jun (Helena) Li, CEO One Health One Road Medicine, Shanghai
- Diana Arsovic, CEO Danish Life Science Cluster
- Bogi Eliasen, Movement Health Foundation
- Michael Hadjipantela, MEP (EPP), Εx Minister of Health at Cyprus Government
- Terry Pirovolakis, Elpida Therapeutics
- Dr Eva Turk, IHI IMPROVE, Centre for Digital Health and Social Innovation, University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten
- Adam Skali, Institute for Human Centered Health Innovation
- Cris Scotter, WHO Europe, Special Advisor
- Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel, CEO National Integrative Oncology Centre
- Emma Rawson-Te Patu, President World Federation of Public Health Associations
- Belinda Lin, Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park
- Carina Dantas, CEO SHINE 2Europe, Co-founder SHAFE Foundation
- Dr Anna Kudiyarova, Director of the Psychoanalytic Institute for Central Asia
Dr Sotiris Themistokleous, Director of Strategic Development, Center for Social Innovation Cyprus
- Nina Sønderberg, National Director Nordic Wellbeing Academy, Learning Experience Director EHFF
- Lars Münter, International Director Nordic Wellbeing Academy, Development Director EHFF
Read more – there’s still room for you too!
EHFF Posters from Berlin – Women’s Health and AMR
New Members Meet September 10th
We welcomed five new members September 10th – Yiota Liaramantza, Theresa Louis, Nicolaj Holm Ravn Faber, Liza Collins, and Kateryna Ostrovska (only four with working camera) – meet them below. New New Members Meet planned for October 8 – hoping to present at least Rodrigo Scotini, Agatha Acchiardo, and Ulrik Bak Kirk.
More Domain Experts Newsletters Coming Up
From the beginning of 2025 we’ve asked and found a series of domain experts in our forum to share their insights in the key domains they thrive in. This newsletter is the first of these. Coming newsletters will share more from these special editors and experts.
You are welcome to join this dedicated group – or just share tips or insights from previous or coming events that you think we should include in coming newsletters.
