Vall d’Hebron will host the 1st International Congress on Health Communication and welcome global experts to address sector challenges

Experts and communication professionals from health institutions, doctors, researchers and journalists from around the world, amongst others, will gather in Barcelona on 24 and 25 October for the 1st International Congress on Health Communication, organised and hosted by Vall d’Hebron University Hospital with the support from the European University Hospital Alliance (EUHA).

In collaboration with Medtronic, the event will look into the latest advances and challenges in health communication through round tables, presentations and workshops, as well as foster networking and work dynamics with a global outlook. The event will discuss issues such as communicating health policies, the relationship between health institutions and professionals and the media and journalists, creating new narratives, “fake news”, the role of artificial intelligence, communication crises and the role of patients in circulating content.

The opening on the first day of the International Congress on Health Communication (24 October) will welcome European, Spanish and Catalan authorities. The initial round table will discuss government health communication policies and how they increasingly apply to more complex scenarios, with different levels of action involving European, national and regional authorities. This round table will welcome communication directors from European, Spanish and Catalan government health institutions, as well as expert Mariachiara Tallacchini from the University of Piacenza (Italy).

The second round table will look into how institutions interact with the media and journalists. Isabelle Jourdan, Christie Norris and Madeleine Svärd, the heads of communication from Hôpitaux de Paris (France), Kings’s Health Partners London (United Kingdom) and the Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), will exchange impressions with Valeria Román from Infobae (Argentina), Koen Wauters from VRT National Radio & TV (Belgium), and Javier Granda with a view to improving an often fraught relationship. 
The third block will focus on mechanisms to find and circulate engaging and compelling stories that provide insights into health for the general public. Camil Roca, from the marketing agency for the TV3 telethon and foundation La Marató, and Severine Autret, vice-president of advertising and creative services at Havas Paris, will explain success stories that have impacted public awareness.

The second day will lead off with a round table on combating “fake news” in health communication. Even though precision in this field is key, attacks from the spread of fake or inflated news stories are a constant threat. The round table will welcome Carlo Martini, professor of philosophy in health sciences at San Raffaele University (Italy); Michele Cantazaro, a freelance journalist who works for different outlets, including El Periódico de Catalunya; Carlos Mateos, an expert in fake news at the ConSalud web portal; Sigrid März, a scientific journalist and editor at MedWatch; and Dr Javier de Castro, head of medical oncology at La Paz University Hospital (Madrid).

Communication crises will also be dealt with by speakers from the communication departments at leading European hospitals: Lars Elgaard, head of media relations at Aarhus University Hospital (Denmark); Anne Lemaitre (EUHA UZ Leuven, Belgium); Hanna Melbin, head of strategic communication at Karolinska University Hospital (Sweden); Laia Brufau, communications director at the Catalan Health Institute (ICS); and Oscar Franco, Harvard professor and director of public health at UMC Utrecht.

The impact of artificial intelligence on communication strategies and how to make the most of its potential to reach the general public will be looked into by Amelia Burke-Garcia, director of the NORC Center for Health Communication Science at the University of Chicago (United States). Laia Morales, an AI training consultant and founder of Bexperience, will run a practical workshop on how to use AI for everyday health communication.

Following this, Sarah Neville, global health editor at the Financial Times and winner of the 2024 best health journalist award in the UK, will spotlight the fundamental role of patients and the public in health communication. Furthermore, we will hear from Audrey Mash, whose story of being resuscitated at Vall d’Hebron after spending more than six hours in cardiac arrest due to hypothermia became a widespread news feature. In turn, Alex Kenney, head of public affairs at the British Heart Foundation (United Kingdom), and Jazz Sethi, founder and director of the Diabetes Foundation (India), will set out the communication strategies at their respective patient associations.

The last round table promises a lively debate on what journalists are looking for (and what they actually discover) when dealing with doctors and researchers from health institutions. Renowned journalists will engage with Dr Josep Tabernero (Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus), Dr Purvi Parwani, cardiologist in Loma Linda (California, USA), and Judit Balazs, psychiatrist and professor at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest (Hungary). Among them Josep Corbella, research and science expert at 'La Vanguardia', Korinna Hennig, editor and team leader of the science department at NDR Info (Germany) and Géraldine Zamansky, journalist and health expert at Magazine de la Santé France 5 and 'C'est ma santé' France Info (France).

The conference discussions and findings will be used to produce a Health Communication Guide that the EUHA will then share with the European Union.